Tennessee State opens the 2026 season Saturday against Jackson State in the 27th annual John A. Merritt Classic at Vanderbilt University's FirstBank Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT, and the game will stream on ESPN+. The Classic is presented by the Tennessee Titans and ONE Community.
"Well, we've had an exciting camp," TSU head coach Reggie Barlow said. "We're really proud of our guys."
Saturday will mark the 56th meeting between Tennessee State and Jackson State but the first between the programs in the John A. Merritt Classic. TSU leads the series 30-23-2 and owns a 17-9 record in the Classic, including victories in each of the past three games.
The programs last met in the 2022 Southern Heritage Classic, where Jackson State earned a 16-3 victory. Jackson State has won three consecutive games in the series. TSU will make the return trip to Jackson, Mississippi, in 2027.
"A great program, a lot of history and tradition coming out of that program," Barlow said. "We're excited to go up and see how we measure up against them."
The matchup brings together the two programs led by Merritt during his Hall of Fame coaching career. He spent 11 seasons at Jackson State before moving to Tennessee State in 1963. His final Jackson State team defeated Florida A&M 22-6 in the 1962 Orange Blossom Classic and claimed the program's first HBCU national championship.
The move to FirstBank Stadium brings TSU back to a venue where Merritt's teams went 14-4-1 at Vanderbilt's Dudley Field, including a 2-1 record against Jackson State highlighted by shutout victories in 1980 and 1982.
Barlow enters his second season after completing his first full winter, spring and summer with the program. He was named TSU's head coach on March 23, 2025, after the previous winter conditioning period had ended.
Barlow said the difference this year has been "having a chance to go through winter conditioning with our guys to build trust" before moving into spring practice, summer access and training camp.
TSU will introduce a new offense under coordinator Matt Leone, who joined the staff after serving as offensive coordinator at North Carolina Central.
The quarterback competition includes Winston-Salem State transfer Daylin Lee, returning senior Byron McNair and South Florida transfer Marcelis Tate.
Lee finished his Winston-Salem State career ranked second in program history with 5,616 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 15 touchdowns and started every game from 2023-25.
McNair played in 11 games for TSU last season, completing 153 of 244 passes for 1,558 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Tate adds another athletic option after transferring from South Florida.
"These guys have been competing," Barlow said. "The battle has been good in training camp."
Running back Zach Simmons-Brown also returns after carrying the ball 101 times for 456 yards and two touchdowns last season. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt and caught 12 passes.
Cedric Thornton begins his first season as TSU's defensive coordinator after being promoted in January. He remains the program's associate head coach. Thornton and Barlow played together at Alabama State and with the Jacksonville Jaguars before Thornton later served as Barlow's defensive coordinator at Alabama State.
Thornton takes over a defense with several contributors back from last season. Defensive lineman Bryce Gray recorded 25 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks in 10 games. Linebacker Sammy Taylor made 51 tackles, while defensive back Syncere Safeeullah finished with 17 tackles, one interception, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Kaiki Baker, Brendan Hale and Brandon Collins are also among the returning defensive contributors.
Barlow said he is "excited to see these guys play in this defense."
Jackson State finished 9-3 and won the SWAC East Division in 2025 before falling 23-21 to Prairie View A&M in the conference championship game. The Tigers were selected to finish second in the SWAC East this season.
Jackson State averaged 32.8 points and 255.3 rushing yards per game last season under head coach T.C. Taylor.
Quarterback Jared Lockhart returns after completing 76 of 113 passes for 1,187 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions as a freshman. He also rushed for 189 yards and three scores.
Wide receiver Nate Rembert led Jackson State with 45 receptions for 750 yards and seven touchdowns. On defense, SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Kam Sallis returns after recording 53 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 2025.
Barlow identified TSU's ability to respond to difficult practices as one of the most encouraging developments of training camp.
"You've got to be able to bounce back and be resilient," Barlow said.
