HBCU Football: Tennessee State, Big South-OVC Preseason Poll

Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State football team was picked fourth in the Big South-OVC Preseason Poll as the league released the ranking ahead of Wednesday’s Virtual Media Day. Tennessee State is the only HBCU in the Big South-OVC .

Led by fourth-year head coach Eddie George, the Tigers received 41 points in the poll, a promising position for a team coming off its first winning season since 2017 (6-5, 2-4).

2024 Big South-OVC Predicted Order of Finish

1. UT Martin (5) – 61
2. Eastern Illinois (2) – 53
3. Southeast Missouri (2) – 51
4. Tennessee State – 41
5. Gardner-Webb – 40
6. Charleston Southern – 27
7. Tennessee Tech – 24
8. Lindenwood – 18
9. Western Illinois – 9

In addition, the fourth-ranked Tigers had 12 players selected to the league’s Preseason Player to Watch List.

Draylen Ellis – QB

Ellis returns for his third season under center after playing in all 11 games last season. He enters his senior season of HBCU football with over 6,500 career passing yards, with 2,882 yards coming in the blue and white. The Mississippi native has 47 career passing touchdowns and 12 scores on the ground. The former OVC Freshman of the Year will be eyeing his fifth straight 1,000+ yard passing season.

Jordan Gant – RB

Coming off a Freshman All-American season, Gant had one of the better seasons by a TSU running back in recent years, becoming the first back at the HBCU to finish with double-digit rushing touchdowns in a season since Trabis Ward logged 15 in 2012. The redshirt freshman finished the season with 553 rushing yards on 144 carries and 10 rushing scores, all leading the team. The Florida native rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two scores in a road win over Kennesaw State and recorded four rushing touchdowns on 12 carries for 83 yards in a win over Lincoln.

Jalal Dean – WR

Dean joined the team this spring after a productive three-year career at Tennessee Tech. The South Carolina native played in 30 career games, hauling in 48 passes for 656 yards and two scores. Dean had 25 receptions for 323 yards in 2023.

Connor Meadows – OL

Meadows joined the Tigers for spring ball after transferring to the Nashville HBCU from the University of Tennessee. The redshirt sophomore saw action in two games while in Knoxville, including one game as a freshman against UT Martin and one this past season against UConn. The Trenton, Tennessee, native will look to contribute immediately as TSU revamps its offensive line after losing key pieces.

Jason Hoath Jr. – TE

Hoath was one of two true freshmen to play in all 11 games for Tennessee State. He showed his versatility by playing on special teams while also seeing significant time at the tight end position. The Columbia, Tennessee, native provided significant blocking in the run game and showcased his hands with one reception against Gardner-Webb.

Eriq George – DL

George was selected to the watch list after earning Freshman All-American honors and being named the Big South-OVC Defensive Freshman of the Year. Playing in nine games as a true freshman, the Nashville native finished the season with 25 tackles (13 solo, 12 assists), 6.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He recorded five tackles, 2.0 TFLs, and one sack in the win over Kennesaw State, and tackled Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman for no gain to start his career.

Ahmad Nelson – LB

Nelson will look to step into a full-time starting role as the fifth-year linebacker enters the season with 37 career games under his belt. Nelson, who has played in all 11 games in back-to-back seasons, returns as the leader in the room with 59 career stops. The Alabama native started five games last season and finished tied for sixth on the team with 35 tackles (24 solo, 11 assists) and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Jalen McClendon – DB

After playing in just four games and utilizing a redshirt season last year, McClendon will look to step up and be a leader at the corner position as he enters his fourth season of HBCU football with the Tigers. McClendon, who has seen action in 20 career games, comes into the season with 32 career tackles and one pass breakup. The redshirt sophomore recorded 23 tackles in 2022 after battling back from a foot injury to start the year.

Dayron Johnson – All-Purpose / KR / PR

The 2024 season will mark year six for Johnson, who was named to the preseason watch list as both an all-purpose player and return specialist. The Springfield, Tennessee, native is coming off one of his best career years as a wide receiver after playing in all 11 games with nine starts. He led the team in receptions with 39 while finishing second on the team in yards (349) to go along with one touchdown. Johnson recorded five games with 4+ receptions and finished with a season-high 11 catches for 91 yards against Charleston Southern. He racked up 450 yards in the kick return game on 21 attempts for an average of 21.4 yards per return and tallied 99 yards in punt returns to finish the season with 898 all-purpose yards. Johnson has seen action in 40 games and logged 88 catches for 1,041 yards and four scores. He has returned 70 kickoffs for 1,569 yards, averaging 22.4 yards per return, while logging 348 punt return yards on 31 attempts.

James Lowery – PK

Lowery returns for his fifth season after earning a spot as the Big South-OVC First Team placekicker last year. He led the league in made field goals with 12 and finished the season 12-of-15 on field goal attempts. He connected on 28 of his 30 PAT tries, leading the team with 64 points. Lowery connected on two field goals from 50+ yards, including a 50-yard game-winner against Gardner-Webb and a 51-yard make on the road at Kennesaw State. The Florida native had an 11-consecutive made-field goal streak. He was 4-of-4 from 40-49 yards and 2-of-2 from 50+. Lowery also had 54 kickoffs for 3,250 yards and 15 touchbacks.

Jackson Foster – P

Foster had a successful first season as TSU’s punter in 2023, earning a spot on the Second Team. He led the league with punts inside the 20 with 28. Foster punted 73 times for 2,848 yards, averaging 39.0 yards per kick. He had a league-leading 28 fair catches. His long punt of 66 yards was the second-best in the league, and he had five kicks over 50 yards. Foster also served as the holder on field goals and extra-point attempts.

Carson Buchanan – LS

Buchanan is back for his fifth season as the Tennessee State long snapper. The Antioch native has snapped in 37 games as a Tiger and was named to the All-Big South-OVC second team last season. Buchanan played in all 11 games last season and served as the long snapper and short snapper on field goals. Of 119 combined punt, field goal, and extra point attempts, Buchanan was perfect, going 117-of-117 on his snaps and serving as the holder on the other two. The Nashville native finished with a tackle at Notre Dame.

The 2024 season marks the second year the Tigers will compete as the lone HBCU in the joint OVC-Big South Association conference. TSU will play eight conference games. Matchups include Tennessee Tech, Charleston Southern, Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois, UT Martin, Western Illinois, Gardner-Webb, and SEMO.

TSU will kick off its season in Nashville against HBCU foe Mississippi Valley on August 31 in the John Merritt Classic. The game will kick off at 5:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN+.

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