South Carolina State QB Eric Phoenix Rises into the Spotlight

Stats Perform is bringing a greater spotlight to athletes, students and stories at Historically Black Colleges and Universities through a partnership with Urban Edge Network. Included in the 2024 college football season are both HBCU FCS Player and Team of the Week awards and a season-ending HBCU FCS National Player of the Year Award, each presented by HBCU+.

The South Carolina State Bulldogs opened their MEAC campaign with a 69-35 victory over Delaware State – a dominating performance that ended with their most points in a game since 2011.

They rolled up 631 total yards and announced they would be a major factor in the race for the conference title.

At 5-2, they have matched last year’s win total already, and it’s under a first-year coach, Chennis Berry.

A big reason for the success in Orangeburg is due to the arrival of quarterback Eric Phoenix. The senior transfer from Murray State has unlocked the potential of the Bulldogs offense, and some of the numbers have been staggering.

In the game against Delaware State, he completed 18 of 21 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, adding one rushing TD. At first glance, such an outstanding performance against a team with only one win would seem to make sense, but Del State has not been your typical one-win team – often competitive and particularly solid against an FBS opponent when it faced Hawaii senior quarterback Brayden Schager.

It makes what Phoenix accomplished against them so much more impressive.

During his senior year at Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Georgia, Phoenix probably dreamt of being here. He’s playing for a winning Division I program in the hunt for a conference championship, while playing the best football of his life.

Despite throwing for just under 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior year, the D-I offers did not come, but an opportunity did at Division II HBCU Benedict College, and Phoenix accepted it.

A year later, Phoenix’s life would change when Berry left his post as offensive coordinator at Southern University to become Benedict’s head coach.

“The first time I seen him throw a football, I got super excited,” Berry said about Phoenix in a 2021 interview with WSAV-TV in Savannah. “With Eric Phoenix at quarterback, we think we have the guy to help us lead and take this program to new heights.”

Chennis was right. In 2022, Phoenix led Benedict to an undefeated regular season and a 58-21 victory over Tuskegee in the SIAC championship game. His full abilities were on display in that win as he passed for 313 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

However, Phoenix still had the itch to test himself at the D-I level, so after that season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“It wasn’t the easiest decision, it took a lot of prayer, a lot of thought,” Phoenix told The Bluebloods in a 2023 interview after making the transfer to Murray State. “I just felt like I wanted to play at the highest level possible, to set myself up for the future.”

At Murray State, he was in a battle for playing time with two other quarterbacks. It was a rough season for the Racers as they entered the super-competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference and finished 2-9, with just one conference win.

Meanwhile, Berry and Benedict captured their second straight SIAC championship. After the season, Berry was hired at South Carolina State to replace the legendary Buddy Pough, who retired following 22 seasons.

By April, Phoenix announced his plans to join his former coach at SCSU. A couple days after the verbal commitment to play for the Bulldogs, he said on the Blitz City Podcast his relationship with Berry was the catalyst for the move.

“Me and Coach Berry have a great connection. We mesh well, it’s a great fit,” Phoenix said.

It’s clearly been the right decision for Phoenix, Berry and the entire program. Phoenix has received national attention for his play and has recently added MEAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He’s also on the radar for the HBCU+ Player of the Year.

HBCU FCS Players to Watch

The inaugural HBCU FCS National Player of the Year Award, presented by Urban Edge Network and its HBCU+ streaming serve, will be announced in December. Gene Clemons pinpoints seven players to watch entering the final month of the regular season:

• Keandre Booker, OLB, Tennessee State (Big South-OVC)
• JaVonnie Gibson, WR, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)
• Andrew Jones, LB, Grambling State (SWAC)
• Joshua Nobles, DE, Jackson State (SWAC)
• Eric Phoenix, QB, South Carolina State (MEAC)
• J’Mari Taylor, RB, North Carolina Central (MEAC)
• Elijah Williams, DL, Morgan State (MEAC)

This season, Phoenix leads the MEAC in completion percentage (62.6), passing yards (1,791) and passing efficiency (159.8), throwing for 14 touchdowns with six interceptions. He’s added 127 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

South Carolina State’s biggest test of the season comes Thursday night when they welcome No. 19 North Carolina Central (6-2) to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The MEAC championship runs through the visiting Eagles if the Bulldogs hope to make it back to the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 14 in Atlanta.

It’s an opportunity Eric Phoenix surely feels he’s more than ready to handle. Because he’s right where he always felt he should be – starring as a Division I quarterback.

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