Special teams has long been called football's "hidden third," but at Tennessee State, it's beginning to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with offense and defense. The Tigers are betting that a renewed focus on this phase of the game will give them a competitive edge.

The shift comes with the arrival of Jerod Kruse, TSU's new special teams coordinator and secondary coach, alongside the rare perspective of head coach Reggie Barlow—a former NFL standout return specialist. Together, they are building a unit capable of flipping fields, swinging momentum, and winning games.

Before becoming a coach, Barlow spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, establishing himself as a dynamic playmaker in the return game. He totaled 92 kickoff returns for 1,855 yards and one touchdown, and 158 punt returns for 1,639 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 23.2 yards per kickoff and 10.4 yards per punt. For Tennessee State, those numbers are more than statistics—they serve as a blueprint.

"Coach Barlow knows exactly what it looks like to change a game on special teams," Kruse said. "That perspective trickles down to our players. It's not just about kicking and covering—it's about creating opportunities."

Kruse's approach emphasizes flexibility across the unit. "Sometimes it's a crapshoot," he said. "One guy today, another guy tomorrow, depending on the game. We've looked at a bunch of players back there."

That extends to the kicking game, where Kruse stresses consistency and resilience as much as mechanics. "There's no kicker in the world who's ever been 100% on PATs or field goals," he said. "Short memories—if you miss, you have to move on to the next play because you're only as good as your next one."

Kruse highlighted the impact of punter Mark Shenouda. "Mark got some kicks in last year, so he's really the only returning specialist," Kruse said. "What I've really liked about him is his approach with the group overall and his role as the veteran leader of the specialist units. He's taken it upon himself to hold the group accountable to the standards we set, and he knows that if anything's wrong, I go to him first. He's embraced the coaching, stepped into the leadership role, and the rest of the guys have followed in a really positive way."

A key part of that development is finding the right fit for critical roles. Kruse said the Tigers are testing multiple players in return positions, with guidance from Barlow and assistant Nick Andrews, both of whom excelled in similar roles during their careers. "It's nice to have guys like Nick Andrews and Coach Barlow, who know what it takes," Kruse said. "We've worked with several players, and we haven't locked in on one yet. The good thing is we have multiple guys we're developing to be proficient."

"When I got here in May, they'd already done some really good things in the past," Kruse said. "We're making a few slight adjustments in technique and approach, but the group has been extremely coachable. From mid-May to now, and adding a few in early August, the growth over the last few weeks has been exactly what we wanted."

The message is clear: if you want to play for Tennessee State, don't overlook special teams.

That philosophy has carried into training camp, where competition remains fierce for jobs in the kicking and return game. No starting spots have been locked in, and the staff treats these roles with the same importance as starting quarterback or middle linebacker.

Kruse said his approach in camp is to challenge players and help them progress step by step. "We've put them in difficult situations, but we've progressed them through a system," he said. "We're starting to filter out what works and what doesn't. Our job as coaches is to find what they do well and accelerate it. Don't ask them to do something outside their skill set and expect top performance."

For a program building its foundation under Barlow, special teams represents more than execution. It's about momentum, hidden yards, and seizing opportunities that often decide close games. With Kruse's detailed teaching and Barlow's NFL-tested vision, Tennessee State believes it has finally found a formula to make the "hidden third" impossible to ignore.