Broderick Fobbs begins his second season as ULM’s Running Backs Coach.
In 2023 his running backs accounted for over half of the yardage gained in the 2023 season campaign and lost zero fumbles.
In 2022 Fobbs took a year off from coaching after a stellar campaign as the Head Football Coach at Grambling State University.
While at Grambling State in 2018 & 2019, Fobbs led the Tigers to a 6-5 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Grambling State had four players named to the All-SWAC teams, including De’Arius Christmas, who earned the SWAC’s Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second consecutive season. Christmas also earned school and national recognition as he was one of 14 finalists for the William V. Campbell National Football Foundation Academic Award.
In addition, the Tigers' defense ranked tops in the conference in six categories, including blocked kicks (which led the nation), defensive touchdowns, fumbles recovered, passes intercepted, turnovers gained and turnover margin.
In 2017, Fobbs led Grambling State to an overall record of 11-2, ending the season in the Celebration Bowl with a loss to North Carolina A&T State. The Tigers repeated as SWAC Champions, beating Alcorn State, 40-32, and enjoyed classic wins over Clark Atlanta (31-20), Prairie View A&M (34-21) and rival Southern (30-21). The four-time SWAC Coach of the Year and three-time Fritz Pollard award winner led the Tigers to a final ranking of 14th in the FCS Coaches Poll and 16th in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll.
In 2016, Fobbs led the Tigers to an overall record of 12-1, ending the season
as SWAC Champions, Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Champions and HBCU National Champions. After repeating as SWAC Western Division champions, winning the 2016 SWAC championship game and defeating North Carolina Central University 10-9 in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, the Tigers were recognized as one of the top teams in FCS football.
Following a narrow 10-point loss (31-21) to FBS opponent Arizona, Grambling finished the 2016 season on an 11-game winning streak, earning the program’s 25th SWAC title (the first since 2011) and 15th HBCU Football National title - its first since 2008. The Tigers finished the 2016 season ranked 15th in the final FCS Coaches Poll and 16th in the final FCS STATS poll.
In just his first three years as a head coach, Fobbs not only captured a trio of SWAC Coach of the Year awards but also led the Tigers to a 25-2 regular-season conference record – including back-to-back undefeated conference regular seasons (18-0). 14 Tigers earned all-conference honors after the 2016 season, including Devante Kincade being named Offensive Player of the Year and Donovan McCray being named Defensive Player of the Year.
In addition to being named SWAC Coach of the Year in 2016, Fobbs was also named the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, HERO Sports FCS Football Coach of the Year, BOXTOROW Co-Coach of the Year, 3x Fitz Pollard Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the FCS Eddie Robinson Award.
After starting the season with three consecutive losses, Fobbs led the Tigers to seven consecutive conference wins in his first season at Grambling State in 2014. Finishing with an overall record of 7-5 and 7-2 in the conference, Grambling was only one win away from clinching a western division title and a berth in the SWAC Championship game. The seven wins was a six-win improvement from the previous season for the Tigers. The drastic turnaround by the program created national headlines for Fobbs and the program earning him several Coach of the Year awards.
In 2014, Fobbs was named SWAC Coach of the Year, Louisiana Sports Writers Coach of the Year, Black College HOF Sports Writers Coach of the Year and Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and was named a FCS Eddie Robinson Award Finalist.
The success continued into Fobbs’ second year at Grambling. In only his second season, Fobbs guided the team to an undefeated regular season conference record (9-0) – the first undefeated regular-season record by a SWAC school since Grambling finished 7-0 in 2008 – and a western division championship. The Tigers’ season ended in defeat in the Toyota SWAC Football Championship Game to Alcorn State.
Grambling State finished the season ranked 24th in the final FCS STATS poll and quarterback Johnathan Williams was named SWAC Offensive Player of the Year – the first Offensive Player of the Year award from a Grambling State player since Frank Warren in 2010. That season Fobbs was named 2015 SWAC Coach of the Year and BOXTOROW Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the STATS FCS Coach of the Year.
Fobbs returned to McNeese State in 2013 for a sixth overall season as a member of the McNeese coaching staff as the tight ends coach. That season, McNeese defeated FBS opponent South Florida 53-21. After a 10-2 regular season, McNeese made an FCS playoff appearance. Fobbs spent one season as the wide receivers coach with Southern Miss in 2012.
Before Southern Miss, Fobbs served as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach with McNeese from 2007-2011. During that time, he mentored players Quinten Lawrence, who was drafted and played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, and Steven Whitehead, an all-conference receiver. McNeese was dominant in the Southland Conference during these years as it boasted an undefeated regular season record of 11-0 in 2007 and FCS playoff appearances in 2007 and 2009. McNeese also captured a pair of SLC titles during Fobbs’ tenure as offensive coordinator.
Fobbs had a successful stay as an assistant coach at Northwestern State from 2002-2006, where he mentored and recruited two of the most productive receivers in Northwestern State history, Derrick Doyle and Toby Zeigler, who ranked first and second at the school in receptions, respectively. The Demons won a share of the 2004 Southland Conference Championship with an overall regular season record of 8-4 and a berth to the FCS Playoffs.
During his time at NSU, Fobbs completed an NFL Minority Internship with the Buffalo Bills in 2005 and coached the Arena League II Lafayette, La., franchise. He also worked as an offensive graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette during the 2000-01 season.
Under legendary Grambling State head football coach Eddie Robinson, Fobbs was an honor roll student-athlete and served as a two-time team captain for the Tigers. Grambling won the 1992 HBCU National Championship defeating Florida A&M 45-15 in the Heritage Bowl. Grambling State was also a co-champion of the SWAC in 1994. He led the conference in yards per carry, averaging 7.1 yards/carry his senior year. He racked up more than 1,500 rushing yards during his college football career.
Fobbs was a standout, multi-sport student-athlete at Carroll High School in Monroe, La. At Carroll, he was a team captain and earned all-state honors in football in 1990 and 1991 and all-region in baseball in 1990. Fobbs was also a state qualifier in the open 200m dash in 1991. He played in the state baseball and football all-star games before earning a scholarship to Grambling State University as a running back.
Fobbs earned his bachelor’s degree from Grambling in 1997 and is married to the former Kimbia Jones. The couple has two children, Kyndal and Rylee. He is the older brother of ULM Wide Receivers Coach Jamaal Fobbs.
