Livingstone College
5-5 2025 finalLivingstone College is the birthplace of Black college football, home to the first HBCU team in 1892, now rising under a tough-love coach who has made the Blue Bears physically fearsome again.
The Bears are in the woods.
Livingstone College is the birthplace of Black college football, home to the first HBCU team in 1892, now rising under a tough-love coach who has made the Blue Bears physically fearsome again.
Livingstone College went 5-5 overall and 3-4 in CIAA in 2025, continuing the steady rise under Sean Gilbert that began in 2024 (6-4). The Blue Bears' signature achievement: Kenyon Garner, a CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, led a…
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
The Pulse on Livingstone College
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Livingstone College
The baseline for a successful season.
Earns a Super Region playoff qualifier bid.
Entry into the 32-team national bracket.
The Division II national championship game.
Livingstone College · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Fanbase Health Index · Livingstone College · medium confidence
Growing (55)
Home-Field Advantage · Livingstone College · 2018-present
Elite
60% home win rate vs 17% on the road. margin runs +15.2 better at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Cooling
Two of five. Schedule has caught up.
CIAA Standing · 2025
5th in the CIAA
Livingstone College sits 5th of 12 in the CIAA at 5-5. Mid-conference — moves up or down depend on rivalry results and the late-season closing run.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson C Smith | 10-2 |
| 2 | Virginia Union | 9-3 |
| 3 | Fayetteville State | 6-4 |
| 4 | Virginia St | 6-4 |
| 5 | Livingstone | 5-5 |
| 6 | Elizabeth City State | 4-6 |
| 7 | Winston-Salem | 4-6 |
| 8 | Bluefield State | 3-7 |
| 9 | Bowie State | 3-7 |
| 10 | Shaw | 2-8 |
| 11 | St. Augustine's | 0-0 |
| 12 | Lincoln (PA) | 0-10 |
Schedule Strength · Livingstone College · 2025
Soft
Average opponent win rate 40% across 10 finalized games. Lighter schedule — the committee weighs wins against strength of field.
Moment of the Year · Livingstone College · 2025
Won 31-7 vs Lincoln (PA)
Week 5 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
From the Archive — Livingstone College
2023: Lost 0-33 at Virginia St
In 2023, the program lost 0-33 at Virginia St — a stinging road result, 33 points either way.
The Bears eat tonight.