Bayou Classic

Your platform can do more than capture the moment. It can amplify the culture.

Applications are officially open for the 2026 Bayou Classic Influencer Program.
We’re looking for creators who can bring their audience inside the full Bayou Classic experience, from the rivalry and traditions to the fashion, music, community and unforgettable moments throughout the weekend.

If you are a current student of Southern or Grambling, have a distinct voice, an engaged audience and a passion for telling culturally authentic stories, this opportunity is for you.

Apply today and help us tell the story of Bayou Classic 2026.
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VICTORY.
Grambling State handles business with a 49–7 win over Clark Atlanta.
The season has begun, and every week brings us closer to Thanksgiving weekend in New Orleans, when the rivalry, the tradition and the culture all meet on one stage.
For now, Grambling starts the journey with a statement.
The Culture Lives.
Live the Weekend. Experience the Standard.

kinda chic to call Bayou Classic your second homecoming.

Because for some of us, Thanksgiving weekend means coming back to New Orleans, finding the people we haven’t seen since last year, picking up traditions right where we left them and doing it all over again.

The game brings us together.
The culture keeps us coming back.

The Culture Lives.
Who do you come home to Bayou with every year? Tag your crew.

From the yard to the national stage, HBCU culture has always had influence.
The style. The sound. The creativity. The presence. What happens on our campuses doesn’t stay there, it moves culture far beyond the yard.

From Southern University’s Human Jukebox to Grambling State’s World Famed, the traditions we celebrate at Bayou Classic continue to show up, stand out and command attention on bigger stages.

Because the music isn’t background. The style isn’t extra. And the influence has never been accidental.
The Culture Lives.


Photos courtesy of and .

Last season, the Human Jukebox set the standard.
Now comes the part champions know well: defending it.
Southern University enters the 2026 band season as the reigning Division I Band of the Year Champion — with every performance carrying the expectation that comes with being at the top.
The road back to New Orleans starts now.
LAST SEASON SET THE STANDARD.
THIS SEASON DEFENDS IT.
🎺 The Human Jukebox is coming.

The culture doesn’t live on history alone. It lives because we keep showing up for it.

Grambling. Southern. New Orleans. One of the most iconic weekends in HBCU culture is calling us back.

🎟️ TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW.

Be there November 27–28 as generations come together for the rivalry, the tradition, the bands, the energy and the moments you can only experience at Bayou Classic.

THE CULTURE LIVES.
Live the Weekend. Experience the Standard.

Get your tickets → mybayouclassic.com

Some legacies aren’t meant to stay in the record books. They come back to shape what’s next.

Grambling State legend Bruce Eugene is back—this time helping build the next generation of Tiger quarterbacks.

From making history in black and gold to pouring that experience back into the program, this is what legacy looks like when it becomes leadership.

The legacy doesn’t leave. It comes back to build.

Welcome back, Coach Eugene.

The Culture Lives.
The road to Bayou continues.