Tennessee State Picked To Finish Fourth In The OVC Ahead Of 2022 Football Season

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Courtesy of TSU

The Tennessee State Tigers football team were voted to finish fourth in the upcoming OVC season by the league’s head coaches and communications directors. TSU received 46 points and one first-place vote in the poll.

The Tigers are welcoming back former Heisman Trophy winner and Titans legend Eddie George for his second year as head coach. TSU finished the season with an overall record of 5-6 and a conference record of 3-3

This year, TSU welcomes new quarterback Draylen Ellis, who transferred from Austin Peay. Ellis was named OVC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2020 and last season was a second-team All-OVC pick after passing for 2,626 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Ellis will be teamed with third-year running back Devon Starling, who shared those Freshman of the Year accolades with Ellis in 2020. A year ago, he was named All-OVC and earned Sophomore All-American honors after rushing for 800 yards.

In 2021, the Tigers were efficient offensively, throwing only six interceptions in 11 games, which led the OVC and ranked 17th nationally Defensively, the Tigers placed three players on the Preseason All-OVC team, in Tadarrius Patterson (30 tackles, 5.5 sacks), Teray Jones (15 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and James Green (77 tackles, 1 interception).

Ellis, Starling, Jones, Green, and Patterson, along with wide receiver Zaire Thornton, offensive lineman Robert Lacey and kick returner Dayron Johnson, were named to the 2022 Preseason All-OVC Football Teams.

UT Martin has been picked as the preseason favorites, coming off their 2021 OVC Championship and their first FCS Playoff victory. The Skyhawks picked up 10 of a possible 14 first-place votes.

In addition to the League schedule, OVC schools will collaborate with the Southland Conference in a non-conference scheduling alliance for 2022 and 2023. Beginning in 2023, the OVC and Big South Conference begin an agreement to create an association between its football member institutions. The unique agreement combines the two conferences’ football membership to ensure NCAA championship access and stability, and will provide the institutions a schedule of games against all the teams in their multi-sport conference and additional games against schools from the other conference.

Steven Boero
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