Even a combined 3,415 total yards across two collegiate seasons couldn’t keep Mekhi Hagens on the field. The former UAPB quarterback had 16 touchdowns and three rushing scores leading Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s offense, which ranked fifth in the SWAC. He expected the same role at Alabama A&M this fall. Instead, he’s now part of their larger pattern. Between 2011 and 2016, the school had miscertified 101 athletes across 14 sports, prompting NCAA sanctions. Post that, eligibility wasn’t flexible anymore, and errors came at a steep cost– at least one of which Hagens failed to meet.
Though Alabama A&M has not revealed the specific academic issue, Hagens’ previous institution, UAPB’s academic standards, aligned with NCAA and SWAC policy outline just how one can fall out of eligibility:
Minimum enrollment: Student-athletes must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours during both fall and spring semesters. Dropping below that—even for a single day—results in automatic ineligibility.
Class attendance and assignments: Players are expected to attend every class and complete all assignments by the deadline—no exceptions for travel or personal issues unless pre-approved.
Travel documentation: Athletes must submit travel excuse letters to each professor within 48 hours of receiving them and coordinate all missed work in advance.
Academic coordination: Students are required to regularly consult their assigned academic coordinator about all academic matters, including registration, tutoring, and emergencies.
Study hall compliance: Those assigned to study hall must log the required hours each week unless formally excused.
Workshop participation: Attendance at all mandatory student-athlete development seminars is compulsory.
Before any of that academic criteria could be confirmed or cleared, Hagens had already announced his transfer from UAPB to Alabama A&M, in November 2024. The dual-threat QB had just wrapped a breakout season— racking up 2541 passing yards, averaging 328 total yards, and a standout performance against Prairie View A&M, where he threw for 250 yards, completed 14 of 26 passes, and added a touchdown. He hoped to replicate, if not exceed, that production in Huntsville. But then came the news of his transfer, first reported by veteran FCS insider Craig Haley, signaling that Alabama A&M was getting a major upgrade under center.
On Thursday, Stats Perform’s Craig Haley reported on X “#FCS Alabama A&M has removed QB transfer Mekhi Hagens from its roster, due to academics, a source close to the team confirmed.” before adding who that spot would go to instead: “AAMU returns veteran QB Cornelious Brown IV”.
#FCS Alabama A&M has removed QB transfer Mekhi Hagens from its roster, due to academics, a source close to the team confirmed.
At UAPB last season, Hagens was No. 2 in passing yards (2,541) and No. 3 in TD passes (16) in the SWAC.
AAMU returns veteran QB Cornelious Brown IV.
— Craig Haley (@CraigHaley) July 30, 2025
A former Georgia State standout, Cornelious Brown IV was electric in 2020—throwing for 2,278 yards and scoring 24 total touchdowns, including a school-record seven rushing scores by a freshman. He ranked second in the Sun Belt that year in both passing and total offense per game and earned MVP honors in the LendingTree Bowl. That breakout earned him a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Watch List and positioned him as one of the conference’s most promising dual-threats.
After a quieter stint at UT Martin in 2022, where he saw action in seven games for the eventual OVC champions, Brown now has a shot at redemption in Huntsville. With a new head coach in Sam Shade and Hagens sidelined by eligibility hurdles, Alabama A&M may be betting on Brown’s experience and ceiling to anchor their offense.
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