After years of recruiting only black athletes to play football, some of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have begun recruiting more white athletes, posing questions again about the continuing role and relevance of the HBCUs.

The Washington Post details what it calls a new “trend” among HBCUs, diving into the issue of whether the new recruiting is merely a reflection of an increasingly diverse society or whether the shift eliminates still much-needed opportunities for black athletes.

“Athletics does more for our society in terms of transcending social ills than anything else,” said Joe Taylor, the former head coach at Hampton, a historically black university in Hampton, Virginia. “It is about having bigger minds, broader minds, more open minds. If you love the sport, if you have a passion for it, really color tends not to be an issue.”

Even as the number of white players on the rosters at schools such as Norfolk State, Delaware State and Bethune Cookman continues to climb (each school has 11 white players), many of these players are kickers or punters— somewhat less-celebrated positions in the game.

One of Norfolk State’s white players, Jason Kressen, suggested that only a limited number of scholarships be offered to white players to ensure black athletes a chance to join the team and preserve the history of these schools.

The schools are clearly going to have take a careful stance on this issue. For some, increasingly diversified football teams will only add fuel to arguments in favor of refocusing and integrating black higher education.

Picture: Southern University Jaguars vs. Grambling State Tigers in the Bayou Classic - THE annual football rivalry game among historically black colleges and universities