Can WSSU Football Pivot

By Hurley Williams

The 2026 Winston Salem State University Football Season has started with a perfect record of zeros. WSSU football currently sits at 0–5 and is still looking for its first win heading out of a bye week. The slow start has caused quite a stir around campus. about what the Rams are doing wrong and whether the team can turn things around before a win is out of reach.

In the first season of new head coach Tory Woodbury leading the Rams, their opponents have out scored them 174-38 in points scored this season. We reached out to the coach for his thoughts but haven't received a comment yet. At his latest press conference Head football coach Tory Woodbury thinks his staff has to support the players while they are getting beat to show he has their backs. “We're going back to ground zero, and we're using this time to clear the slate,” says Head Coach Woodbury heading into the week 5 bye week at the Winston Salem State University Football Press Conference.

Coach Woodbury’s 1st season at the helm hasn't been pretty, but it seems he hasn't given up on his players.

Both sides of the ball have been struggling from poor offensive production of various turnovers  to weak defensive stops. For people working with the team, the loss this season has been frustrating. I interviewed the Football Equipment Manager Ayden Powell who says, “After starting 0-5, I see this season really as Woodbury’s tester with hopes they can find something with high potential to build the foundation for this next season”. He also says “The team goal is to just to play hard, ain’t really much to expect from them at this point”. From an outside point, the fans have lost hope that the Rams can turn this season around?

Fans are speculating why the Rams can't stop the mistakes. The 0–5 start has been the talk of the town amongst fans. Ayden Jones,  Junior says he feels terrible about the 0-5 start. “I have no faith they can turn it around. At this point, I just want to see improvement. We have to get at least one win,” Jones said.

From within, the  athletic department is also looking at the bigger picture to improve the program moving forward. We reached out to Associate Athletics Director April Reid for the athletic department’s perspective on the situation, but we received no comment at this time. With questions still surrounding the program, the question is “What comes next?” With the season still going on, the football team still has an opportunity to change the course of its season. The Rams cannot change the results of their first five games, what they can control is, snaps going forward.. Now, as the season continues, will the Rams face the (2-3) Bowie State Bulldogs heading into week 6. Can the Rams make important adjustments and win, or will they give its fans another reason to believe a turnaround is not possible with more zeros?