Fort Valley State University announced Friday night that it has parted ways with head football coach Marlon Watson, effective immediately.
In a statement posted to social media, the university said: “Fort Valley State University has made the decision to part ways with Head Football Coach Marlon Watson, effective immediately. We thank Coach Watson for his service to Fort Valley State University and wish him continued success.”
FVSU added that an interim head coach will be named within the next couple of days to lead the program during the transition. The university emphasized that “the well-being, academic achievement and athletic development of our student-athletes remain our highest priorities” and that it remains committed to the continued development of Wildcat football.
Watson was in his second season at Fort Valley State. The Wildcats finished the 2026 regular season 2-8 overall and 1-7 in the SIAC after a 24-13 loss to Clark Atlanta on Thursday in the season finale. In Watson’s first year (2025), FVSU went 4-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
The university hired Watson in February 2025 after Shawn Gibbs left for North Carolina A&T. Gibbs had posted a 22-9 record over three seasons, including back-to-back eight-win campaigns and a 2023 Florida Beach Bowl victory.
Watson arrived in Fort Valley as a first-time head coach after serving as special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach at Prairie View A&M, where he was part of the 2023 SWAC Western Division championship team. His prior stops included defensive coordinator roles at Upper Iowa and Elizabeth City State, plus coaching positions at Alabama A&M (where he worked with All-SWAC linebacker Kenny Davis and helped recruit standouts such as quarterback Aqeel Glass and running back Jordan Bentley), Georgia Military College, and Bethel University. A native of Chicago, he played linebacker at Northern Illinois.
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