In perhaps the biggest move of the offseason, Andrew Body is departing the transfer portal to return to Alabama State for his senior season. Hornet head coach Eddie Robinson Jr., in a quote obtained by journalist Jayla Brown, announced that Body would be returning to the team. He also laid out the benefit of continuity and having the HBCU star back in his rotation.
Coach Eddie Robinson Jr. confirmed that #AlabamaState QB and HBCU National Player of the Year Andrew Body is returning to the Hornets this season. Body announced last month that he would be entering the transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/Hz5NmMf7Cx
— Jayla Brown (@jaylambrown) January 30, 2026
“But he's a kid that can do a lot of different things with the balls and we've kind of seen that and we had some good leadership ability too. So that's what you're looking for when there's so many new people in. You're trying to find that next group of leaders who are gonna stand up. So it's nice when you have a guy that's been in that role before and can continue in that same aspect.”
Body announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on December 16th via his social media accounts. He then indicated that his DMs were open on December 18th and posted a graphic featuring 36 schools, such as Notre Dame, UCF, University of Florida, Penn State, and Vanderbilt, amongst other schools, with the picture caption saying, “schools in contact.” The tweet said, “time is ticking,” and was posted on January 4th.
But, as National Signing Day looms on February 4th, there was wide speculation on if Body's talents would be secured by an FBS team. His return to Alabama State puts them back in the contention conversation, as Tony Hull was recently announced as new offensive coordinator. Body transferred to Alabama State from Texas Southern in January 2024. He first suited up for the Hornets in the 2024 Orange Blossom Classic against North Carolina Central, serving as a “Swiss Army knife” type player. In the game, he took snaps as a quarterback and wide receiver while also leading the team in rushing with 134 yards in the loss. But he was injured in the game and ultimately was out for the rest of the 2024 season.
In 2025, he returned at the top of his game. He finished the season throwing for 1,770 yards and 20 touchdowns with only one interception before he ultimately suffered an injury against Prairie View A&M. He also rushed for 518 yards and four touchdowns, and had Alabama State in contention for a SWAC championship berth.
