TSU football's Eddie George hired as Bowling Green coach

• Eddie George, former Tennessee Titans running back, is leaving TSU to coach at Bowling Green.
• George coached the Tigers for four seasons, leading them to their first FCS playoff appearance since 2013.
• George was a four-time Pro Bowl selection during his eight seasons with the Titans/Oilers.

This story has been updated with new information.

Tennessee State football coach Eddie George is heading back to Ohio.

The former Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back, who won a Heisman Trophy at Ohio State in 1995, has been hired as the new Bowling Green football coach, TSU announced in a press release.

George addressed TSU's players Sunday afternoon via a Zoom call to let them know he was leaving.

George's decision comes at a time when Tennessee State is in a financial uncertainty.

“Not everything was great and that’s ok," said George of TSU's financial stability. "It allowed me to grow and be a part of my sport again and it really challenged me as a man through and through. My love for this school, this institution, extends beyond what you could ever imagine for affording me this opportunity.

"There is never a good time for retirement or making a transition, moving on to a new coaching position. I had to really weigh my options and look at what I was walking away from and where I was going toward. There’s a lot of reasons why I made this decision. My intentions were really to stay here at Tennessee State with hopes that things would definitely get better and so forth. And they will, eventually. But just not in this time frame. And I understand that.”

George, who has been the TSU football coach the past four seasons, was one of three people to interview with Bowling Green on Friday. George led the Tigers, who finished 9-4 last season, to their first FCS playoff appearance since 2013 and was named Big South/OVC coach of the year and was runner-up for the Eddie Robinson national coach of the year.

“On behalf of Tennessee State University, I wish Coach Eddie George and his family the best as they pursue their next chapter. His passion and relentless commitment to developing student-athletes and providing a first-class experience have been invaluable,” said Mikki Allen, TSU athletics director.

“As we move forward, I am excited and focused on attracting a top-tier leader who will build on the solid foundation Coach George has laid and lead us to even greater achievements.”

Allen will be the interim coach until George's replacement is hired.

George interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching position in January. George signed a five-year, $2 million contract with TSU in 2021.

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Coach George for his exceptional leadership in guiding our historic program back to championship-level success," TSU interim president Dwayne Tucker said.

George replaces Scot Loeffler at Bowling Green. Loeffler was head coach of the Falcons for six seasons before leaving to become the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterbacks coach. Bowling Green was 7-6 last season and went to the 68 Ventures Bowl.

“I just want to give thanks to Mikki Allen and (former TSU president) Dr. Glenda Glover for allowing me to be the coach at Tennessee State. It’s been an amazing four years of both development for me personally but also all the student-athletes and our staff. The community here at Tennessee State allowed me to find the love of coaching."

George ran for 10,009 yards and 64 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Titans/Oilers, and four times was a Pro Bowl selection. He played the final season of his career with the Dallas Cowboys.

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.