HBCU football isn't just about the halftime show. People love the bands, sure, but the actual chess match on the sidelines at Tennessee State University (TSU) has become one of the most fascinating storylines in college sports. It’s a heavy mantle. When you talk about Tennessee State football coaches, you aren't just talking about X’s and O’s; you’re talking about a legacy that includes John Merritt, the man who basically built the blueprint for winning in Nashville.
Most folks today look at Eddie George and see a Heisman winner. They see the Tennessee Titans legend. But if you're actually paying attention to what’s happening at Hale Stadium and Nissan Stadium, you’ll see a program trying to bridge a massive gap between "glory days" nostalgia and the brutal reality of modern NIL-era football.
The John Merritt Era: The Standard No One Can Escape
Let’s be real. Every single person who takes the job as the head man for the Tigers is living in the shadow of Big John Merritt. He wasn't just a coach. He was a force of nature. From 1963 to 1983, Merritt racked up 172 wins. He had this cigar-chomping, larger-than-life persona that commanded respect, but more importantly, he sent players to the NFL like it was a conveyor belt.
Think about the names. Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Claude Humphrey. Richard Dent.
These weren't just "good" players. They were Hall of Famers. Merritt understood something that a lot of modern coaches struggle with: recruiting isn't just about talent; it’s about culture. He made TSU the place to be for Black athletes who were being overlooked by the SEC and other major conferences during the heights of segregation and the early years of integration.
But here is the thing people forget. After Merritt passed away in 1983, the program hit a bit of a localized identity crisis. There were flashes of brilliance, of course. Bill Thomas had some solid years in the late 80s, and LD Scott tried to keep the flame alive. However, the consistency started to flicker. The world changed. The "Big Three" schools in the SEC started recruiting the same kids Merritt used to get with a phone call and a handshake.
The Eddie George Gamble: Celebrity vs. Substance
When TSU hired Eddie George in 2021, the collective sports world did a double-take. George had exactly zero years of coaching experience at the collegiate level. None. He was a businessman, an actor, and a legend, but could he recruit? Could he manage a clock on 4th and 5?
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Honestly, the first couple of seasons were a roller coaster. You’d see flashes of an NFL-style defense—thanks in large part to his staff choices—and then you’d see the growing pains of a team trying to find its offensive rhythm in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
One of the smartest moves George made wasn't a play call. It was bringing in Hue Jackson as offensive coordinator early on. Even though Jackson eventually left to take the head job at Grambling State, it signaled that George knew he needed "football guys" around him. He didn't let ego get in the way of the program's needs. That’s a trait many Tennessee State football coaches in the past lacked.
What People Get Wrong About the "Deion Effect"
Everyone wants to compare Eddie George to Deion Sanders. It’s lazy.
While Coach Prime went for the "revolve-and-evolve" portal strategy at Jackson State and later Colorado, George has taken a noticeably more "pro-style" and developmental approach. He’s looking for guys who fit a specific culture. He talks constantly about "professionalism." It’s less about the flashy Instagram edits and more about whether a kid can handle the rigors of a disciplined, NFL-adjacent environment.
It’s a slower burn. It’s frustrated some fans who want 10-win seasons yesterday. But if you look at the defensive line play over the last two seasons, you can see the technical improvements. They’re playing more "sound" football, even if it doesn't always show up as a 50-point blowout on the scoreboard.
The Rod Reed Years: A Bridge Over Troubled Water
We have to talk about Rod Reed. Before Eddie George, Reed held the whistle for over a decade. He is a TSU man through and through. He played there. He coached there.
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Reed is often the most underappreciated figure in the history of Tennessee State football coaches. He took over in 2010 and stayed until 2020. Think about the stability that requires. He led the Tigers to the FCS playoffs in 2013 and beat Butler, which was a huge deal at the time.
But the "Reed Era" also highlighted the massive funding gaps that HBCUs face. It’s hard to win when your weight room is decades behind the competition. It’s hard to win when travel budgets are thin. Reed did a lot with a little, but the plateau was real. The move to Eddie George was a move away from "business as usual" and toward a model where the head coach is as much a fundraiser and brand ambassador as he is a tactician.
Why the Assistant Coaches Are the Real MVPs
If you want to know if a program is healthy, don't look at the head coach. Look at the guys in the headsets on the sidelines who nobody recognizes at the grocery store.
The current TSU staff has been a mix of veteran "graybeards" and young, hungry recruiters. This is where the real work happens. In the OVC (and now the Big South-OVC association), the margin for error is razor-thin. One missed assignment on a screen pass can ruin a season.
- Defensive Identity: TSU has leaned heavily into a physical, press-man style.
- Recruiting Footprint: They’ve stopped just looking at Nashville and Memphis; they’re pulling kids from Florida and Georgia who got lost in the shuffle of the transfer portal.
- The "Pro" Mentality: Having a staff that can look a kid in the eye and say, "I know what an NFL scout wants to see," is a massive advantage that most FCS schools just don't have.
The Infrastructure Nightmare
Let’s get into the weeds for a second. You can hire the best Tennessee State football coaches in the world, but if the administration doesn't back them, they’re dead in the water.
For years, TSU has struggled with aging facilities. It’s the elephant in the room. When a recruit visits, they see the history, but they also see the peeling paint. Eddie George has been vocal—sometimes subtly, sometimes not—about the need for better "stuff."
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The 2024 and 2025 seasons have seen a push for more private investment. The "Roar City" collective and other NIL initiatives are finally starting to wake up. Coaching in 2026 isn't just about teaching a kid how to shed a block; it’s about making sure that kid has enough money in his pocket to choose TSU over a mid-tier FBS school.
What’s Next for the TSU Sidelines?
The trajectory is weirdly positive despite the hurdles. The Tigers aren't quite at the top of the mountain yet, but the "laughing stock" days are long gone.
If you’re following this program, keep an eye on the turnover rate of the assistant coaches. When bigger schools start poaching your coordinators, it’s actually a sign you’re doing something right. That’s the stage TSU is entering. They are becoming a "coaching clinic" school again.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're trying to track the success of the current regime or understand where the program is headed, stop looking at the final score for a minute. Look at these three metrics instead:
- Transfer Retention: Are the best players staying for three years, or are they jumping to the SEC after one good season? If the coaches can keep their stars, the culture is winning.
- Penalty Yardage: Under previous Tennessee State football coaches, discipline was an issue. High-penalized teams are poorly coached teams. Watch the yellow flags.
- Third-Down Efficiency: This sounds nerdy, but it's the purest reflection of "game-day coaching." It shows if the staff can adjust to what the defense is showing in high-pressure moments.
To truly understand TSU football, you have to appreciate the grit it takes to coach there. It’s a high-pressure, high-expectation environment with a fraction of the budget of the "big boys." But the pride? That’s something you can't buy. The current staff is betting that "TSU Pride" plus "NFL Pedigree" is the winning formula for the next decade.
Keep your eyes on the recruitment of local Nashville talent. For a long time, the best players in North Nashville were leaving for Kentucky or Ohio. If the coaching staff can close the borders of Davidson County, the OVC trophy will be staying in Nashville for a long time.
The era of relying solely on the ghost of John Merritt is over. The new era is about proving that an HBCU can run a program with the clinical precision of a professional franchise. It’s a tall order, but for the first time in a long time, the pieces are actually on the board.