MEMPHIS, TN – SMC Entertainment has announced that the 36th Southern Heritage Classic will take place on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 6 p.m. inside of the Simmons Bank Liberty Bowl Stadium, featuring the historically Black college and university (HBCU) teams of the Alcorn State University Braves and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions.

Alcorn State University, a new addition to the classic experience, will replace Tennessee State University, which recently withdrew due to financial difficulties. UAPB will make its third consecutive appearance in Memphis.

“We are thrilled to welcome Alcorn State to Memphis this September to take on UAPB. For the first time in our history, there is added significance to this year’s event, as this will be a conference game for both teams.”

– Fred Jones Jr., SHC founder

Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). This meeting was initially scheduled in Pine Bluff, Ark., but both teams agreed to move the contest to Memphis. The Golden lions lead the all-time series 22-20-3, though the Braves won last year’s meeting, 38-28, in Loman, Miss.

Alcorn State won back-to-back SWAC titles in 2018-19 and has five black college national championship, the most recent of which occurred in 2014. Arkansas-Pine Bluff last won a conference championship in 2012 and captured its lone national championship that year.

Since 2018, the Annual HBCU Football and Recruitment Tour Presented by the HBCU Campaign Fund has been an integral part of the Southern Heritage Classic weekend. This annual tour participates in various events, including the Classic College & Career Fair, the Classic Parade, the Classic Tailgate, and the main game. Notably, the tour missed the Classic Game in 2021 but made a triumphant return in 2022. The tour supports football classics that showcase HBCU football teams, spanning from September to the first week of December, culminating in the SWAC Football Championship game.

The Southern Heritage Classic has become one of my favorite HBCU football classics, and I’m thrilled to learn that it will continue in 2025. The Annual HBCU Football and Recruitment Tour Presented by the HBCU Campaign Fund and the organization itself, welcomes Alcorn State University Braves to Memphis for another fantastic weekend in the Bluff City. I hope Alcorn State fans bring the heat and turn it out as a Pre-Soul Bowl before the Soul Bowl and Arkansas-Pine Bluff fans show up and show out in more numbers than the previous appearances, as it’s time to let the good times ROLL! We look forward to the Annual HBCU Football and Recruitment Tour returning to the 36th SHC and hope to see you in Memphis, September 25-27.”

– Demetrius Johnson Jr., HCF founder, President & CEO

Ticket availability and additional events for the 36th Southern Heritage Classic will be announced in the coming weeks. The 9th Annual HBCU Football and Recruitment Tour Presented by the HBCU Campaign Fund is still under further review and is set to release between mid-March and April 2025.

About the Southern Heritage Classic presented by FedEx
The Southern Heritage Classic, founded in 1990 by Fred Jones Jr., brings fans from across the U.S. to watch HBCU football every September at the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, TN. In 2023, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions will face off against the Tennessee State University Tigers. The greatness of the Classic rests on how it connects kindred spirits – young and old – in celebration of the beauty of cultural diversity and the richness of the city’s heritage. For more information, visit SouthernHeritageClassic.com.

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