Tennessee State football's Eddie George named Big South/OVC coach of the year

The postseason accolades just keep coming for Eddie George and the Tennessee State football team.

George was named the Big South/Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year Tuesday. That came the day after the former Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson national coach of the year award.

George, in his fourth season, is only the second TSU coach to win the conference coach of the year award and the first in 25 years. Former Tigers coach L.C. Cole won the award in 1998 and 1999.

George led No. 19 TSU to a 9-3 regular-season record, a share of the Big South/OVC championship and an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs. The Tigers play at No. 13 Montana (8-4) on Saturday.

The No. 19 ranking is the highest for TSU in seven seasons and the nine wins is the most since the 2013 team also won nine and earned a playoff berth.

George was 5-6 in his first season in 2021, 4-7 in 2022 and 6-5 last season.

George, whose career record is 24-21, and Cole are the only two TSU coaches to post career winning records over the past 35 years. Cole. who led the Tigers to the OVC championship in 1998 and 1999, was 28-18 from 1996-99.

Southeast Missouri quarterback Paxton DeLaurent is the offensive player of the year, and his teammate linebacker Bryce Norman is the defensive player of the year. Charleston Southern punter Gilbert Brown is the special teams player of the year,

Tennessee transfer Connor Meadows, Pearl-Cohn's Boogie Trotter represent TSU on All-Big South/OVC

TSU right offensive tackle Connor Meadows, a transfer from Tennessee, defensive back Boogie Trotter from Pearl-Cohn, and kick returner CJ Evans made the All-Big South/OVC first team.

Meadows, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound sophomore from Trenton, has started every game and helped TSU average 340.7 yards and 26.8 points per game.

Trotter, a junior nickel back, has three interceptions, seven pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. He is TSU's third-leading tackler with 56 total stops.

Evans, a running back who transferred from Austin Peay, led the Big South/OVC averaging 37.4 yards on 14 kickoff returns. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Evans also averages 9.3 yards on 14 punt returns.

TSU sophomore defensive end Eriq George, Eddie's son and a former Montgomery Bell Academy star, made the Big South/OVC second team along with Tigers wide receiver Karate Brenson, linebacker Ahmad Nelson and cornerback Jalen McClendon. McClendon also was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan National Defensive Player of the Year award on Tuesday.

Evans was named the second-team all-purpose specialist.

TSU's Sanders Ellis is Big South/OVC's top defensive freshman

Sanders Ellis, a linebacker from Station Camp, was the Big South/OVC defensive freshman of the year.

Ellis was the conference freshman of the week five times. He recorded 72 tackles (42 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.

He averages 6.0 tackles per game, which ranks sixth nationally among freshmen.

Ellis was named a Jerry Rice (FCS national freshman of the year) finalist on Monday.

Five Tennessee Tech players named All-Big South/OVC

Former Nolensville star Tim Coutras, now a Tennessee Tech defensive back, made the All-Big South/OVC first team along with defensive lineman Daniel Rickert, also from Nolensville, offensive lineman Donnell Wilson, linebacker Cayman Spaulding and long snapper Turner McLaughlin.

Spaulding had 66 tackles; Coutras, a transfer from Liberty, had 46 tackles, three interceptions and eight pass breakups, and Rickert had seven sacks.

Tech running back Jalen Mitchell, a graduate transfer from Connecticut, made the second-team along with defensive linemen Theron Gaines and Myles Parker, linebacker Aaron Swafford, defensive back Caldra Williford and kick returner Tremel Jones.

The complete teams are at All-Big South/OVC.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.