Tennessee State opens the 2026 season Saturday night at FirstBank Stadium, hosting Jackson State in the John A. Merritt Classic at 7:30 p.m. The Week 0 matchup brings together programs from the Ohio Valley Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference as both teams make their season debuts. TSU will look to establish an early rhythm against a Jackson State squad coming off a 9-3 season and a 7-1 mark in SWAC play.

SERIES INFORMATION: Tennessee State holds a 30-23-2 advantage in the all-time series against Jackson State. The most recent meeting came in 2022, when the Tigers of Jackson State claimed a 16-3 victory. The last meeting between the programs in Nashville was on Sept. 10, 1988, when the teams played to a 26-26 tie at Hale Stadium.

Tennessee State (0-0) vs Jackson State (0-0)
Date: Sat., August 29, 2026
Time: 7:32 PM CT
Location: NASHVILLE
Venue: FirstBank Stadium (Vanderbilt) (40,350)
Parking Lots, Parking Garages, Gold Lot Tailgate: Noon
Revel XP Tailgate Opens: 3:30 PM
TSU Team Arrival: 5:00 PM
Ticket Office Opens (McGugin Center): 5:00 PM
All Gates Open: 6:00 PM

TV: ESPN+
Dan Laing (pxp)
Dean Cokinos (Analyst)

Radio: 102.5 & 106.3 FM The Game, 102.1 FM The Ville
Sirius XM: Ch. 386 & 982 (app)
Stream: TSU Tigers App, TheGameNashville.com, Alexa (Play 1025 The Game)
Greg Pogue (pxp)
Rod Reed (analyst)
 
Social: @TSU_Tigers | @TSUTigersFB
Game Notes: TSU | JSU
Game Day Information:  Watch | Live Stats

MEDIA NOTES

WEST END BOYS: The 2026 John A. Merritt Classic will mark Tennessee State's first game at Vanderbilt as the designated home team since August 31, 1996, when the Tigers hosted Florida A&M.

LEE TAKES THE KEYS: Daylin Lee takes over as Tennessee State's starting quarterback after spending three seasons at Winston-Salem State. Lee arrives with 55 career touchdown passes and 15 rushing scores after establishing himself as one of the most productive quarterbacks in Rams history. In 2025, he completed 149-of-238 passes for 2,046 yards and 23 touchdowns with seven interceptions, completing 62.6 percent of his attempts. He also rushed for 89 yards and five touchdowns. Lee threw multiple touchdown passes in eight games last season, including four-touchdown performances against Lincoln and Bowie State. He passed for a season-high 338 yards against Virginia State and accounted for four touchdowns and 326 yards of total offense against Virginia Union. Lee earned All-CIAA Second Team honors and CIAA Male Scholar of the Year recognition as a true freshman in 2023 before being named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team in 2024.

RB1 — Zach Simmons-Brown enters the 2026 season as Tennessee State's lead running back after appearing in all 12 games in 2025. He carried the ball 101 times for 456 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 38.0 rushing yards per game. Simmons-Brown also caught 12 passes for 56 yards, finishing the season with 512 yards from scrimmage. Simmons-Brown recorded a season-high 98 rushing yards on 18 carries against Western Illinois, finishing the game with 124 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on nine carries against Alabama A&M and added 55 yards and a score at Southeast Missouri, highlighted by a season-long 50-yard run. Simmons-Brown closed the year with 60 yards on eight carries at Charleston Southern.

Z IS FOR ZONE BREAKER: Brock Montgomery slots as the starting Z-receiver after appearing in all 12 games with seven starts in 2025, catching 20 passes for 203 yards. He averaged 10.2 yards per reception and 16.9 receiving yards per game. Montgomery established season highs with three receptions and 40 receiving yards against Western Illinois, including a season-long 27-yard catch. He added three receptions for 29 yards against Lindenwood and closed the season with three catches for 32 yards at Charleston Southern.

MR. X: Cam Bulluck joins Tennessee State as the Tigers' new starting X receiver following a season at Murray State. Bulluck appeared in seven games for the Racers in 2025, catching 10 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 14.0 yards per reception. Bulluck delivered his best performance against Southeastern Louisiana, recording four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown, including a season-long 37-yard catch. He added two receptions for 28 yards and a score at Youngstown State. Bulluck began his collegiate career at Faulkner in 2024, producing 23 receptions for 403 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman. He surpassed 100 receiving yards twice and averaged 17.5 yards per catch during his lone NAIA season.

TE III: Francisco Pratts III joins after four seasons at Maine, where he appeared in 26 games and contributed primarily on special teams. Pratts played in 10 games for the Black Bears in 2025 and recorded the first reception of his collegiate career with a five-yard catch at Georgia Southern. Pratts appeared in eight games in both 2023 and 2024 after sitting out the 2022 season. He contributed in the return game during his first year of action and recorded two rushing attempts against Monmouth in 2024. Pratts added another rushing attempt against Rhode Island during his final season at Maine.

BIG BUCK HUNTER: Jaylon Price will be the starting Buck defensive end after playing in all 12 games with eight starts in 2025. Price recorded 25 tackles, including 14 solo stops, with 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Price registered at least one tackle for loss in seven games and posted a season-high five tackles at Southeast Missouri. He recorded a sack and two quarterback hurries in TSU's win over Howard before closing the season with three tackles and a sack at Charleston Southern.

TAYLOR-MADE FOR THE WILL: Nashville native and Ensworth School product Sammy Taylor returns as Tennessee State's starting Will linebacker after developing into a regular starter in 2025. Taylor appeared in all 12 games with eight starts and recorded 51 tackles, including 31 solo stops. He added 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries and one blocked kick. Taylor established a career high with 10 tackles and forced a fumble at UT Martin. He registered eight tackles at Eastern Illinois, blocked a kick in the win over Howard and recorded his first career sack during a five-tackle performance against Western Illinois.

LOCAL PRODUCT LEADS THE EDGE: Nashville native and Ensworth School product Brandon Collins enters the 2026 season as Tennessee State's starting left defensive end. Collins appeared in nine games with two starts in 2025, recording 13 tackles, including seven solo stops, with 1.0 tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry. Collins posted a season-high three tackles at Eastern Illinois before matching that total at Southeast Missouri and against Lindenwood. His performance at Southeast Missouri included his first tackle for loss of the season, while he added a quarterback hurry against Howard.

NO FLY ZONE WITH SAFEEULLAH: Syncere Safeeullah returns as Tennessee State's starting left cornerback after appearing in 11 games with six starts in 2025. Safeeullah recorded 17 tackles, including 12 solo stops, with 0.5 tackle for loss, one interception, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Safeeullah opened the season with a season-high three solo tackles and two fumble recoveries against North Carolina A&T. He recorded his first career interception against Lindenwood and returned it 31 yards. Safeeullah also registered pass breakups against North Dakota State, Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri.

BACK ON THE BACK END: Kaiki Baker returns as Tennessee State's starting strong safety after playing in seven of the Tigers' 12 games in 2025. Despite missing a month because of injury, Baker recorded 42 tackles, including 35 solo stops, with 4.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry.

Baker opened the season with nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against North Carolina A&T. He established a career high with 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss, against Alabama A&M. Baker also forced fumbles against Tennessee Tech and Gardner-Webb and recorded seven tackles at Southeast Missouri.

McHALE's NAVY: Brendan Hale returns as the starting free safety after transferring from Southern Utah, where he spent three seasons. Hale appeared in six of the Tigers' 12 games in 2025, missing all of September and the latter part of November because of injury. Despite the limited action, he recorded 37 tackles, including 17 solo stops, with 1.0 tackle for loss, one interception and one pass breakup. Hale recorded nine tackles, an interception and a pass breakup at Southeast Missouri, returning the interception four yards. He matched his season high with nine tackles against Lindenwood before adding seven tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss at UT Martin.

LOCKS DOWN DAVIS: Byron Davis is slated to start at right cornerback after playing in all 12 games with 10 starts in 2025. Davis recorded 37 tackles, including 26 solo stops, with 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Davis opened the season with four tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry against North Carolina A&T before recording his first interception at North Dakota State. He added another interception at Southeast Missouri and posted a season-high six tackles with 1.0 tackle for loss against Lindenwood. Davis finished the season with a pass breakup in each of the final two games.

ALL-PURPOSE TAYLOR: Taylor appeared in 10 games in 2025 and totaled 149 all-purpose yards, including 75 receiving yards, 66 punt-return yards and eight rushing yards. He caught nine passes for an average of 8.3 yards per reception and returned 19 punts. Taylor recorded a season-long 18-yard punt return against North Carolina A&T and returned three punts for 20 yards against Gardner-Webb. Offensively, he caught a season-high three passes against Tennessee Tech and posted a season-best 29 receiving yards at Southeast Missouri, highlighted by a 23-yard reception.

FRESH VOICES, NEW ROLES FOR BARLOW'S STAFF: Head coach Reggie Barlow enters his second season at Tennessee State with five new on-field assistants and several returning coaches taking on expanded responsibilities. Matt Leone joins the Tigers as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after directing one of the MEAC's most productive offenses at North Carolina Central. Macander Dieudonne, who coached alongside Leone at NCCU in 2025, takes over the offensive line.

The defensive additions include Jeremy Watkins as defensive line coach, Matt Brown as linebackers coach and former TSU defensive back Terell Bonds as cornerbacks coach. Watkins most recently coached the defensive line for the UFL's D.C. Defenders, while Brown arrives after serving as co-defensive coordinator for Albany State's 2025 NCAA Division II HBCU national championship team. Bonds returns to his alma mater following a professional career that included stops in the NFL, CFL, XFL, USFL, UFL and Alliance of American Football.

Cedric Thornton was elevated to associate head coach and defensive coordinator after coaching TSU's linebackers in 2025. Dexter Jackson was promoted to assistant head coach, defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. Nick Andrews returns to oversee the wide receivers, Eddie Woods remains with the tight ends and Ryan Conway shifts to running backs after working as a defensive coaching assistant last season.

14: Tennessee State earned 14 spots on the 2026 OVC Preseason Players to Watch list, with representation across all three phases of the game. The Tigers received six offensive selections, three defensive selections and five special teams selections. Daylin Lee (quarterback), Zach Simmons-Brown (running back), Cam Bulluck (wide receiver), Aaron Duncan II (tight end), Breon Brown (offensive line), and Anthony Taylor (all-purpose) represented the offense. Bryce Gray (defensive line), Sammy Taylor (linebacker) and Syncere Safeeullah (defensive back) were recognized on defense. Davion Moore (punter), Britton Watts (placekicker) Jaden Jones (kick return specialist), Anthony Taylor (punt return specialist) and Steven Nelson (long snapper) earned special teams recognition.

13: Players who attended high school in Davidson County, eight different schools are represented. Four schools produced multiple teammates: Hillsboro — three players; Cane Ridge — two players; Ensworth School — two players; John Overton — two players. East Nashville Magnet, Montgomery Bell Academy, Pearl-Cohn and Stratford each produced one player.

Cane Ridge: Byron Davis, Joshua Reese
East Nashville: Keith Johnson
Ensworth: Brandon Collins, Sammy Taylor
Hillsboro: Kaiki Baker, Mikeece Jones, Syncere Safeeullah
John Overton: Tyson Edwards, Zachariah Lee
Montgomery Bell Academy: Johnothan Moore
Pearl-Cohn: Jamorris Smith
Stratford: Joe Campbell

33: Players from Tennessee — Kaiki Baker, Xavier Byars, Joe Campbell, Terence Carpenter II, Brandon Collins, Ethan Cunningham, Devyn Curtis, Byron Davis, Tyler Dixie, Camron Douglas, Javen Edmiston, Tyson Edwards, Jakobe Freeman, Jayden Guy, Kayvon Henderson, Kennedy Jackson, Taeshawn Jefferson, Keith Johnson, Jaden Jones, Mikeece Jones, Sabastian Jones, Terrance Lawless, Zachariah Lee, Brock Montgomery, Johnothan Moore, Steven Nelson, Carlos Orr-Gillespie, Joshua Reese, Syncere Safeeullah, Jamorris Smith, Sammy Taylor, Caleb Woods, and Emarion Woods.

25: The number transfers who spent time at NCAA Division I before coming to Tennessee State: Lookman Balogun — Southern Utah; Breon Brown — James Madison; Cam Bulluck — Murray State; Dashawn Carter — Youngstown State; Andre Craig — Alabama A&M; Ethan Cunningham — North Alabama; Devyn Curtis — MTSU; Camron Douglas — Tennessee; Aaron Duncan II — Gardner-Webb; Javen Edmiston — Austin Peay; Tyson Edwards — Memphis; Richard Garrett — Western Carolina; Brendan Hale — Southern Utah; Kayvon Henderson — Alcorn State / Alabama State; Justin Logan — Arkansas; Brock Montgomery — UConn; Carlos Orr-Gillespie — Utah State; Trevor Pearson — Prairie View A&M / Troy; Francisco Pratts III — Maine; Syncere Safeeullah — Nebraska; Marcelis Tate — South Florida; Donovan Thompson — Campbell; Truette Tumey — Texas A&M; Britton Watts — Utah State / Ohio; Vertonio Weatherton — Southern Utah.

19: The number of transfers who spent time at an NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA or JUCO program before coming to Tennessee State: Byron Davis — Kentucky Wesleyan; Epoki Fakaosi — Foothills; Daion Gaston — College of DuPage; Mikeece Jones — Iowa Western; Daylin Lee — Winston-Salem; Trey Letson — Keiser; Keenland Lyons — Coahoma CC.; Byron McNair — Kansas Wesleyan; Davion Moore — Bowie State; Man Leroy Palmer — Maryville; Carlos Pardo — Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; Jaylon Price — S.W. Mississippi CC.; Dylan Rodd — Mount Union; Se'an Sheffield — Peru State; Tyler Sterns — College of the Canyons; Augustus Thuston — Hutchinson CC; Jerimiah Treadaway — Carson-Newman; Joel Van-Tagoe — Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; Jaydon Vester — Clark Atlanta.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU football can be heard on Cromwell Media's 102.1 FM The Ville, with select games also airing on 102.5 The Game. All games will be streamed online at www.1021theville.com and will also be available on globally on SiriusXM. "The Voice of the Tigers," Greg Pogue, returns for his 15th season as the radio play-by-play announcer. Guest analysts will join Pogue for home games, while TSU Assistant Athletic Director of Communications and Broadcasting Nick Guerriero will provide analysis on the road.

All TSU home games will stream live on ESPN+ and will also be accessible through the Watch ESPN  app. Dan Laing returns for his fourth season as the Tigers' television play-by-play announcer. He will be joined by analyst Dean Cokinos, a veteran Arena Football League head coach and former Tennessee Titans scout whose extensive coaching and personnel experience brings added insight to the broadcast.