Tennessee State Tigers
OVCNashville, TNNissan Stadium
2026: 2–5 (0–2 OVC). Last: beat Morgan State 25–16 at home. Next: Charleston Southern, Saturday, Oct 24, 3:30 p.m. ET.
- L 24–26Jackson State
- L 3–63at No. 3 Georgia
- L 3–30at Alabama A&M
- W 29–26at Florida A&M
- L 21–28at Western Illinois
- L 28–42UT Martin
- W 25–16Morgan State
- Oct 24Charleston Southern
- Oct 31at Lindenwood
- Nov 7Southeast Missouri State
- Nov 14Eastern Illinois
- Nov 21at Gardner-Webb
Tennessee State has played football since 1912 and is officially 597–339–32; 271 of its 968 games are in our file. They have won 14 Midwestern Conference titles (the last in 1966), plus two Ohio Valley Conference titles, one Big South–OVC Football Association title, counting shared titles. Since 1966, the NFL Draft has taken 70 players from here in its first seven rounds, 7 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 coach from Tennessee State. John Merritt (1977–1980) won more games here than any other coach: 10. The most-played rival is UT Martin: 22 meetings, UT Martin leads 14–8. This season, they’re 2–5.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 597–339–32 official; 130–139–2 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 0–0 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1188
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 90 · Composite No. 99 in FCS, Oct 17; up 8 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 17 last in 2024
- Bowl record
- 8–1–1 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 35 since 1972, 271 games
2026 season 2–5
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs Jackson State | L 24–26 | 28% |
| Sep 5 | at 3Georgia | L 3–63 | 4% |
| Sep 12 | at Alabama A&M | L 3–30 | 40% |
| Sep 19 | at Florida A&M | W 29–26 | 30% |
| Oct 3 | at Western Illinois | L 21–28 | 35% |
| Oct 10 | vs UT Martin | L 28–42 | 43% |
| Oct 17 | vs Morgan State | W 25–16 | 35% |
| Oct 24 | vs Charleston Southern | Preview | 45% |
| Oct 31 | at Lindenwood | Preview | 33% |
| Nov 7 | vs Southeast Missouri State | Preview | 41% |
| Nov 14 | vs Eastern Illinois | Preview | 56% |
| Nov 21 | at Gardner-Webb | Preview | 33% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
On the 2026 team
- Daylin Lee1,614 passing yards, 11 TD (leads Tennessee State in passing yards)
- Cam Bulluck37 catches, 565 yards, 6 TD (leads Tennessee State in receiving yards)
- Jayden Guy23 catches, 329 yards
- Jaylon Price27 tackles, 3.5 sacks (leads Tennessee State in sacks)
- Brendan Hale36 tackles (leads Tennessee State in tackles)
- Brenton Paul227 rushing yards, 2 TD (leads Tennessee State in rushing yards)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Tennessee State.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Program strength since 1972
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| John Merritt | 1977–1980 | 10–3–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- UT Martin
8–14 in 22
- 2017 L 16–31
- 2018 W 31–28
- 2019 L 17–28
- 2020 W 26–24
- 2021 L 20–41
- 2022 L 3–20
- 2023 L 10–20
- 2024 L 21–28
- 2025 L 7–26
- 2026 L 28–42
Lost the last six.
- Eastern Illinois
9–12 in 21
- 2016 L 34–35
- 2017 L 16–19
- 2018 W 41–40
- 2019 L 38–49
- 2020 W 21–20
- 2021 W 28–0
- 2022 W 37–17
- 2023 L 17–30
- 2024 W 41–17
- 2025 L 7–31
Lost the last one.
Next: Nov 14
- Jackson State
14–6 in 20
- 2012 W 38–12
- 2013 W 26–16
- 2014 W 35–7
- 2015 W 35–25
- 2016 W 40–26
- 2017 W 17–15
- 2019 L 44–49
- 2021 L 16–38
- 2022 L 3–16
- 2026 L 24–26
Lost the last four.
| Opponent | Games | TNST record |
|---|---|---|
| UT Martin | 22 | 8–14 |
| Eastern Illinois | 21 | 9–12 |
| Jackson State | 20 | 14–6 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 19 | 8–11 |
| Tennessee Tech | 19 | 11–8 |
| Murray State | 16 | 5–11 |
| Florida A&M | 15 | 7–8 |
| Austin Peay | 15 | 8–7 |
Every opponent (53)
Every program Tennessee State has played, A to Z, with Tennessee State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 0–1
- Alabama A&M 4–6
- Alabama State 1–1
- Arkansas–Pine Bluff 4–1
- Austin Peay 8–7
- Bethune-Cookman 4–1
- Butler 1–0
- Central State 1–0
- Charleston Southern 1–2
- Chattanooga 3–2–2
- Drake 1–0
- East Texas A&M 1–0
- Eastern Illinois 9–12
- Eastern Kentucky 5–9
- Eastern Washington 0–1
- Edward Waters 1–0
- Florida A&M 7–8
- Gardner-Webb 2–1
- Georgia 0–1
- Georgia State 1–0
- Grambling 1–1
- Howard 2–0
- Jackson State 14–6
- Jacksonville State 1–13
- Kennesaw State 1–0
- Kentucky State 1–0
- Lane College 0–1
- Lincoln (CA) 1–0
- Lindenwood 2–1
- Long Beach State 1–0
- Louisville 2–0
- Middle Tennessee 1–2
- Mississippi State 0–1
- Mississippi Valley State 2–0
- Montana 0–1
- Morgan State 1–0
- Murray State 5–11
- Norfolk State 1–0
- North Carolina A&T 2–1
- North Dakota State 0–2
- Notre Dame 0–1
- Samford 3–2
- South Carolina State 1–1
- Southeast Missouri State 8–11
- Southern 3–2
- Southern Illinois 1–1
- Tennessee Tech 11–8
- Texas Southern 1–0
- UNLV 0–1
- UT Martin 8–14
- Vanderbilt 0–3
- Virginia Lynchburg 1–0
- Western Illinois 1–2
Conference titles
17, counting shared titles- Big South–OVC Football Association 1
- 2024 (shared)
- Ohio Valley Conference 2
- 1998, 1999
- Midwestern Conference 14
- 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Black college football
Black college national titles 16
Who named them
- 1946 (as Tennessee A&I) 10–1: Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1947 (as Tennessee A&I) 10–0: Baltimore Afro-American; Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1953 (as Tennessee A&I) 8–0–1: John B. “Johnny” McLendon, Jr. based on the Dickinson System
- 1954 (as Tennessee A&I) 10–1: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1956 (as Tennessee A&I) 10–0: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); Associated Negro Press (Luix Virgil Overbea); Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1965 (as Tennessee A&I) 9–0–1: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1966 (as Tennessee A&I) 10–0: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); New Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1970 11–0: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); New Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1971 9–1: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); New Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll)
- 1973 10–0: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.)—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy; Mutual Black Network; New Pittsburgh Courier (Sheridan Poll) (retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner (actually five-time winner by this point) since the previous trophy had been retired;)
- 1979 8–3: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009); Black College All Star Bowl—Eddie Hurt National Championship Trophy; Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.)—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy; Sheridan Broadcasting Network (Sheridan Poll)
- 1982 9–0–1: Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.)—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy; Sheridan Broadcasting Network (Sheridan Poll) (record does not include voided games (was 10–1–1))
- 1983 8–2–1: Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009)
- 1984 11–0: Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.)—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy
- 2012 8–3: Dr. Cavil’s Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network)–Major Division Poll
- 2013 10–4: American Sports Wire (Dick Simpson); American Urban Radio Networks (Sheridan Poll); Black College Sports Page (Carl “Lut” Williams & formerly Major Broadcasting Cable); Heritage Sports Radio Network–HSRN Conaway Cup for NCAA Division I FCS teams
Black College Football Hall of Fame: 11 inductees from Tennessee State.
Black college national champions as Wikipedia’s list gives each season’s selections since 1920 (the black press’s polls, bowls and later media polls; some seasons have several). Black college football history: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Conferences
- Midwest Athletic Conference 1951–1966
- Independent 1967–1987
- OVC 1988–2022
- Big South-OVC 2023–2024
- OVC-Big South 2025
- OVC since 2026
- 2026Joined the OVC from the OVC-Big South in football, announced June 18, 2026. Source
Tennessee State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Led the nation 1
| 1979 | Jeffrey Shockley punt return average (16.9) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 0
- Coaches
- 1
| 1994 | John Merritt coach here, 1977–1980 |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 70 since 1966
- First-round picks
- 7
| 2008 | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB | No. 16, Arizona Cardinals |
| 1974 | Ed Jones DE | No. 1, Dallas Cowboys |
| 1974 | Waymond Bryant LB | No. 4, Chicago Bears |
| 1971 | Vern Holland OT | No. 15, Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1969 | Jim Marsalis DB | No. 23, Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1968 | Claude Humphrey DE | No. 3, Atlanta Falcons |
| 1968 | Eldridge Dickey WR | No. 25, Oakland Raiders |
The school
Tennessee State University- Enrollment
- 6,310 5,057 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1912
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $42,730 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2–5 | 0–2 | 1188 | ||||
| 2025 | 2–10 | 0–8 | 1160 | ||||
| 2024 | 9–4 | 6–2 | 1352 | ||||
| 2023 | 6–5 | 2–4 | 1216 | ||||
| 2022 | 4–7 | 2–3 | 1224 | ||||
| 2021 | 5–6 | 4–3 | 1214 | ||||
| 2020 | 2–5 | 1142 | |||||
| 2019 | 3–9 | 2–6 | 1166 | ||||
| 2018 | 4–5 | 3–4 | 1260 | ||||
| 2017 | 6–5 | 2–5 | 1301 | ||||
| 2016 | 7–4 | 4–3 | 1274 | ||||
| 2015 | 4–6 | 1–6 | 1265 | ||||
| 2014 | 6–6 | 3–5 | 1334 | ||||
| 2013 | 3–1 | 1423 | |||||
| 2012 | 8–3 | 4–3 | 1357 | ||||
| 2011 | 5–6 | 4–4 | 1256 | ||||
| 2010 | 3–8 | 0–7 | 1222 | ||||
| 2009 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 1323 | ||||
| 2008 | 8–4 | 5–3 | 1321 | ||||
| 2007 | 4–6 | 3–3 | 1231 | ||||
| 2006 | 6–5 | 5–2 | 1245 | ||||
| 2005 | 2–8 | 1–6 | 1115 | ||||
| 2004 | 4–7 | 2–5 | 1221 | ||||
| 2003 | 7–5 | 5–3 | 1345 | ||||
| 1984 | 1–0 | 1455 |
Every season back to 1972 (10 more)
Officially 597–339–32 since 1912 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 130–139–2 (271 of its 968 games are on file). Our file starts in 1972; the program began in 1912. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1982–83, 1985–2002: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.