The HBCU Gameday cameras were rolling inside the Golden Bulls’ locker room for their “Brick x Brick” docuseries. It captured the usual pregame ritual with music thumping, players getting hyped, and Coach Maurice Flowers about to deliver his speech. But then someone walked through that door who had absolutely no business being there, at least on paper. The energy in the room shifted to something nobody saw coming.

Luke Kuechly , the Carolina Panthers legend and future NFL Hall of Famer, showed up to JCSU’s locker room before their matchup against Winston-Salem State. The optics of this are wild in the best way possible. A white NFL icon rolling into an HBCU locker room in Charlotte and getting embraced like family.

He arrived with Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias, who’s been a longtime JC

See Full Page