A year after a magical run to the top of the OVC-Big South standings and a trip to the FCS playoffs, Tennessee State isn’t expected to repeat that performance in 2025.
In fact, the Tigers were picked by the league’s coaches to finish eighth out of nine teams in the conference preseason poll released on Wednesday.
It is a dramatic fall, but not unexpected after head coach Eddie George left for Bowling Green in the offseason and the Tigers lost key contributors from their postseason team to either attrition or the transfer portal.
Here is the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗢𝗩𝗖-𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹 which was voted on by the league head coaches. 🏈
Read more: https://t.co/GqLfMERdVa.#StrongerTogether | #OVCBigSouthFB pic.twitter.com/NFbLvMicf6
— OVC-Big South Football Association (@OVCBigSouthFB) July 16, 2025
In the poll, TSU was selected to finish just ahead of last-place Charleston Southern.
Reggie Barlow, the longtime HBCU coach who recently served as the head coach of the United Football League’s DC Defenders, apparently will have his work cut out for him trying to build on 2024.
