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Amid allegations of racial discrimination, the NFL is taking a small but crucial step towards diversifying the NFL’s coaching pipeline. Two former HBCU coaches have been hired by the NFL: Isaac Williams and K.J. Black.

The Pittsburg Steelers announced the hiring of Williams as assistant offensive line coach on Tuesday. Williams coached the offensive line for North Carolina Central University during the 2021 season. He coached the Morgan State University offensive line from 2018 to 2020. He played college football at Alcorn State University.

Black has been placed with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams as an offensive quality control assistant. Black was the former offensive coordinator for the Florida A&M University Rattlers and played college football as a quarterback at Prairie View A&M University and led the team to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

“I’m very excited for Isaac and KJ,” said Alonzo Carter, assistant coach at San Jose State and an executive committee member of the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches. “It’s big. There’s a lot of bright young minds in HBCU football and when they get that attention, they deserve it.” 

While there is not an official track of how many NFL coaches have an HBCU background, most come from larger institutions, specifically in the Power Five conferences.

“What I love about Isaac,” Carter says, “He told me when former Steelers offensive line coach Adrian] Klemm left, ‘I want to get that assistant offensive line coach job with the Steelers.’ And he went out and did just that.”

The NFL s still being sued by the former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores for claims of racial discrimination.