College football season is almost here. You can already feel the hype — school colors flying, season ticket holders mapping out tailgates, and athletic departments finalizing how to spend the millions they pulled in last year, mostly thanks to football.

But while analysts debate NIL deals, play-calling, and five-star recruits, there’s a deeper, quieter game being played — one that has nothing to do with fourth downs and everything to do with power.

Because behind those packed stadiums and sparkling athletic facilities lies a network of influence that most people never see: the state legislature.

And at the center of that network? The flagship universities.

The Alumni Hiding in Plain Sight

Let’s cut straight to it. The Black Prospectus recently examined the educational backgrounds of state senators in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama — three states where football isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of life.

Here’s what we found:

• In Georgia, 36% of current state senators are alumni of the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech.

• In Mississippi, 36% of seated senators graduated from either Ole Miss or Mississippi State.

• In Alabama, a staggering 51% of the state senate attended either the University of Alabama or Auburn University.

  Read that again. In Alabama, more than half of the people responsible for setting budgets, passing laws, and shaping the future of the state were trained at just two institutions.

This isn’t just a coincidence. This is a system — and it benefits the same schools again and again.

Power Loves Its Alma Mater

When a third (or more) of a legislative chamber shares alumni ties to the same universities, those schools gain an inside track — not just to visibility, but to control.

1. Proximity to Power = Policy Advantage

Lawmakers with alumni loyalty are more inclined to:

• Approve multimillion-dollar funding for campus expansion

• Protect their alma mater from budget cuts

• Support favorable legislation for research centers, public-private partnerships, and workforce initiatives

“It’s easier to say yes to a funding request when you graduated from the building they’re asking to renovate.”

2. Emotional Bias = Institutional Memory

It’s not just political — it’s personal. Senators remember their favorite professors. They cherish the school’s traditions. And they want to see their institution win — not just on the field, but in the budget room.

“You’re not just voting for a university — you’re voting for your own legacy to look more impressive.”

3. Pipeline Protection = Future Access

These flagships don’t just train students. They produce staffers, interns, and future legislators. Through programs like UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, they build generational pipelines to power.

“It’s not just about who holds the seat now — it’s about who gets the seat next.”

Who Gets Left Out?

While flagship schools flourish, smaller colleges — especially HBCUs, regional universities, and community colleges — are left scraping for leftovers. And that creates three major problems:

1. Unequal Policy Priorities

Funding follows influence. If your school doesn’t have alumni in the room, it likely won’t be in the budget. That affects:

• New building construction

• Research grants

• Faculty expansion

• Institutional prestige

2. Political Erasure of Smaller Schools

Schools that serve rural, working-class, and Black communities — including many HBCUs — lack representation in the places where real decisions are made.

They aren’t just underfunded. They’re unheard.

3. Power is Reproduced, Not Earned

This isn’t about merit. It’s about access.
Flagships create:

• Internships for their own students

• Direct lines to power for their own presidents

• Policy influence for their own agendas

And the cycle keeps repeating — generation after generation.

How HBCUs Can Gain Ground

This isn’t just a critique. It’s a call to action.

Here’s how HBCUs can start flipping the script:

1. Build Political Training Pipelines

• Train students in campaign strategy, public speaking, fundraising, and policy research

• Partner with elected alumni to offer mentorship and shadowing opportunities

• Create “Ready to Run” cohorts focused on city councils, school boards, and legislative seats

2. Launch Legislative Institutes

• Establish HBCU versions of government training centers (like UGA’s Carl Vinson)

• Embed students into statehouses via fellowships and internships

• Make policy education a formal part of the curriculum for political science and public administration students

3. Strengthen Institutional Advocacy

• Form or join Black Legislative Caucuses in each state

• Publish HBCU-led policy briefs focused on funding equity, land-grant parity, and workforce initiatives

• Track alumni in government and organize them into an influence coalition

4. Leverage Cultural and Economic Power

• Use the historical weight of the Civil Rights Movement as a platform for modern civic engagement

• Show the receipts: HBCUs generate $15B in economic impact and uplift Black income mobility across the South

• Make sure legislators see HBCUs as not just cultural treasures — but economic engines worth investing in

The Bigger Picture

The question isn’t “Should flagship schools have influence?”

It’s: “Should they have this much influence… at the expense of everyone else?”

Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama show us that flagship universities aren’t just winning on the football field — they’re dominating the policy field too.

And if we want a public education system that reflects all of the people — not just the chosen few — it’s time to rebalance the power.

Because if we’re going to talk about who's building the future of our states, we better talk about who's sitting in the room... and more importantly, who’s been left out of it.