NASHVILLE – Tennessee State fans and Eddie George have a lot in common these days. Pride for Nashville. A love for the Big Blue. And, of course, excitement for the 2021 football season. 

George can't wait for kick off this Sunday at 3 p.m. CT in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio. 

Tennessee State will open the George era against Grambling State at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The game will air live on the NFL Network and feature live halftime performances from both marching bands, including TSU's "The Aristocrat of Bands." 

It's a fitting welcome for George to college football with the Pro Football Hall of Fame serving as the backdrop for two of the greatest traditional historically black college powers. The schools rank 1-2 in NFL players to come from an HBCU all-time with Tennessee State leading the way with 121 and GSU just behind with 117. 

"To open up with these two historically amazing college football brands is exciting for my first game as a college head coach," George said. "We have a very rich history here at Tennessee State and Grambling does too. And to be playing in Canton - not far from where I played in college at Ohio State, it really is remarkable. It's going to be a special day. I'm going to take it all in. I'm tremendously blessed." 

The Schedule

George will bring a young team loaded with talent to open up the season in Canton before meeting Deion Sanders' Jackson State squad in the Southern Heritage Classic at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn. (ESPN3). 

The Tigers welcome NCAA Division II Kentucky State for their home opener on Sept. 18 before beginning the Ohio Valley Conference slate at Southeast Missouri on Sept. 25. Tennessee State will also play at Austin Peay (Oct. 2), versus Tennessee Tech (Oct. 16), at Eastern Illinois (Oct. 23), versus Murray State (Oct. 30) and at UT Martin (Nov. 6). TSU will host Austin Peay on Nov. 13 before closing the regular season on Nov. 20 at Mississippi State. 

Learn more about TSU's full schedule and buy tickets here.  

The Coaches

George's first on-field coaching staff has it all. 

An NFL head coach. Super Bowl champions. Collegiate National Champions. Pro Bowlers. NFL assistants and college coordinators. Collectively, the staff brings more than 140 years of combined on-field NFL and collegiate coaching experience to the Tigers. 

"They are well-experienced, not just professional ranks, but also collegiately" George said. 

"Our mission is to build young men. All these men are great teachers. They are pushing (our student-athletes) beyond their comfort zone to realize their full potential. I am blessed enough that they were available, and they were willing to come here and take a chance on me being a first-time head coach."

Every TSU assistant has some level of NFL experience, including former Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who will serve as Tennessee State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

The assistant coaching staff also features six former NFL players and four NFL draft picks, like Clyde Simmons, a two-time All-Pro and Philadelphia Eagles' Hall of Famer who led the NFL with 19 sacks in 1992.  

Add in George, who went to four Pro Bowls during a nine-year career spent mostly with the Tennessee Titans, and the Tennessee State coaching staff remarkably has more than 50 years of NFL experience. 

Brandon Fisher, son of longtime Titans and Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, will serve as the Tigers' defensive coordinator. He has more than a decade of coaching experience, including eight years as an NFL assistant, and one season at Auburn. 

Learn more about the Tennessee State coaching staff here. 

The Offense

While Tennessee State finished 2-5 in the 2021 spring season (moved from the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic), there were plenty of bright spots on the offense. 

Running back Devon Starling took the country by storm in his first collegiate season after transferring following a redshirt year at Memphis. The Nashville native, who starred at Cane Ridge High School, led all FCS freshmen and the OVC in rushing yards per game (92.6) en route to HBCU All-America honors and OVC Co-Freshman of the Year accolades. 

"He is the heart and soul of his team," George said. "He came on late last season when he was featured. Our goal is to surround him with tremendous talent upfront to focus on being a run-oriented football team."

Starling, a preseason All-OVC selection, will be the leader on offense and expected to take pressure off the quarterbacks. 

George has not announced a starter at quarterback, but has plenty of talent and experience to work with in Grambling transfer Geremy Hickbottom (22 career starts, 44 touchdowns), Deveon Bryant and Chayil Garnett. 

Whoever starts at quarterback will receive an unapparelled education in offensive football from Jackson, the longtime NFL coach and coordinator, who will call plays for TSU. 

"Hue brings a wealth of knowledge," George said. "He's going to push players to be the best they can be."

George wants to play smash mouth football, and that starts on the offensive line. The Tigers have several young offensive linemen that could emerge as stars, including Jaalon Gupton, a 6-5, 290-pound tackle, and Robert Lacey, a 6-3, 340-pounder. 

"I have seen the offensive line group make strides," George said. "There are a lot of young guys who have tremendous upside."

George expects to rely heavily on his tight ends this season, using a lot of multiple tight end sets in his pro-style offense. Preseason All-OVC selection Benjamin Johnson will play tight end, full back and H-back, while Rodell Rahmaan and Josh Trueheart (13 receptions last season) are also expected to have an impact. 

"I love our tight end group as a whole," George said. 

Tennessee State will have plenty of playmakers on offense, and perhaps none more so than wide receiver Cam Wyche. A true gamebreaker, he averaged 20.7 yards per catch on 22 receptions last season and is a preseason All-OVC First Team selection.  

"He's able to take the top of defenses," George said. "He can stretch the field. He is great in space." 

The Defense
Tennessee State will play with effort and energy on defense, and, just like on offense, the Tigers expect to win in the trenches. Led by returning HBCU All-American Davoan Hawkins, the defense will be aggressive. 

"We pride ourselves on having a nasty, active defensive front and it will force you to play inside the box," George said "We will try to eliminate big plays. And we want to arrive with bad intentions. It's simple."

Fisher has taken many of the concepts he learned in the NFL and applied it to the Tigers.  

"Brandon has grown tremendously as defensive coordinator," George said. "He understands the game, and his pedigree speaks for itself. He is a great motivator and a great teacher, and I really enjoy working with Brandon."

Fisher calls Hawkins the "lifeblood of our defense." The Kentucky transfer led the OVC with five sacks and 9.0 TFLs in the spring. He is a preseason All-OVC selection.  

"Davoan is the alpha on the defense," George said. "He is very vocal. He backs it up with his play. Our defense is centered on what he does. He can be a force." 

The Tigers have plenty of talent joining Hawkins on the defensive line with Raymond Horton and Terray Jones, both 300-pounders, expected to emerge as team leaders. 

"Our defensive line is unique. We are built around our front. We are going to go as far as our front will take us," Fisher said. "We have numerous guys who can put their hand in the dirt and go."

At linebacker, Tennessee State will look to James Green and Jashun Bryant. 

"They both show great leadership ability," Fisher said. 

Green is a preseason All-OVC First Team selection who finished with 29 tackles, 5.0 TFLs and an interception in the spring. 

"Green has been the guy who has stepped up and backed it up with his play," Fisher said. "He's the kind of guy you want to build around." 

His brother, Josh Green, will lead the defensive backs. He ranked second on the Tigers with 39 tackles and led the OVC with three interceptions in the spring season. Returners Nick Harper (32 tackles, six PBUs in spring) and Kenyon Garlington (15 tackles, three PBUs) will also be leaders on an opportunistic defense along with several newcomers. 

Cornerback Eddie Graham and safety Cory Rahman emerged as bona fide leaders during camp after transferring from Southeastern where they previously played under defensive back coach Richard McNutt. Both were All-Americans. 

"Our learning curve has really accelerated by bringing them in," Fisher said. 

Special Teams 

Tennessee State returns one of the top special teams weapons in the nation, and certainly the most powerful leg, in kicker Antonio Zita. An HBCU All-American, All-OVC First Teamer and FCS All-American, he drilled a 62-yard field goal last season, which was the longest in college football for any division by four yards. 

He nailed five 50+ field goals and his 14 field goals led the OVC. 

"He's a good player, and he still has some growing to do. He can become even better as he learns to be more consistent," George said.

The 2021 edition of the Tennessee State Tigers are ready for you to hear their roar the season. The Eddie George era begins Sunday and the first home game is Sept. 18 inside Nissan Stadium.