Aaron James quarterbacked Tuskegee to a 42-5 record as a starter and an HBCU national championship. On Sunday, his alma mater relieved him of his duties as head coach five games into his fourth season.
Tuskegee (D-II - AL) announced the move Sunday and opened a national search. Assistant head coach and offensive line coach Keith Higdon will serve as interim head coach for the remaining six regular-season games.
The decision came one day after Morehouse beat the Golden Tigers 30-28 in the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. It was Morehouse's second straight win in the series, something the Maroon Tigers had not done in more than 30 years, according to HBCU Gameday.
Tuskegee started this fall 2-3, with wins over Fort Valley State and Benedict.
Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Reginald S. Ruffin thanked James in the university's announcement.
"We are extremely grateful to Coach James for his leadership, dedication, and service to Tuskegee University," Ruffin said.
Ruffin also said Tuskegee wants a leader who understands "the tradition, expectations, and national significance of Tuskegee Football." The school listed academics, recruiting, alumni engagement and fundraising, and championship-level results as priorities for the search.
James was named Tuskegee's 18th head coach in January 2023 after one season as the program's offensive coordinator. His first year was his best. The Golden Tigers went 7-4 and 6-2 in the SIAC, tying for second in the league.
Tuskegee went 5-6 (5-3 SIAC) in 2024 and 4-7 (3-5 SIAC) in 2025, tying for seventh in the conference. Combined with this year's 2-3 start, James finishes 18-20 overall.
Before coming home, James spent two decades as an assistant across HBCU football. He was a graduate assistant at Tuskegee, then made stops at Bullock County High School in Alabama, Clark Atlanta and Lane College. He spent the 2011 through 2020 seasons at Miles College, working his way from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and was part of SIAC championship teams in 2011, 2015 and 2018. He also helped the 2012 Golden Bears make the program's first Division II playoff appearance.
He left Miles for Bethune-Cookman in 2021, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, before returning to Tuskegee in 2022.
James started at quarterback for the program from 1998 through 2001, won three SIAC titles and led the 2000 team to a 12-0 season and a black college national championship.
Firing a coach in October seems harder when the coach is one of the best players in program history. But the expectations Ruffin described were set, in part, by teams James quarterbacked. Win totals that dropped every year since 2023 and back-to-back losses in the Classic were more than the administration was willing to carry into November.
Higdon gets six games to steady things. Tuskegee gets a head start on a search for one of the most recognizable jobs in Division II.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.