Days after leading Tennessee State to a share of the Big South-OVC championship and a trip to the FCS playoffs for the first time in more than a decade, Eddie George was named the league’s top coach.
George, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, led the Tigers to a 9-3 overall record and their first conference championship since 1999, as well as the program’s first FCS Playoff berth since 2013.
TSU won nine games for the first time since 2013.
Recognized as the Stats Perform HBCU Team of the Week twice this season, Tennessee State enters the postseason ranked in both national FCS Top 25 polls.
The Tigers scored 40 points in a game four times this season, had a four-game win streak from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19, and did not lose consecutive games all season.
Tennessee State ranks ninth in the country with 7.3 tackles-for-loss, had three defensive touchdowns, recovered 10 fumbles and owns the FCS top kickoff return average (26.79). Tennessee State quarterbacks have thrown the fewest interceptions (7), ranked first in the conference in passing defense (195.8) and pass efficiency defense (116.15), and lost the fewest turnovers (15).
