Category: HBCU Sports

Tennessee State football adds Matt Leone as Offensive Coordinator

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Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics NASHVILLE — Matt Leone has joined the Tennessee State football coaching staff as offensive coordinator for the 2026 season, bringing a proven track record of developing high-powered offenses at the FCS and NAIA levels. Leone comes to TSU after serving as offensive coordinator at North Carolina Central University, where he helped engineer one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s most productive offenses. During the 2025 campaign, the Eagles averaged 33.75 points and 420.9 total yards per game, scoring 30 or more points in eight contests. Quarterback Walker Harris flourished…

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The rivalry is back: Tennessee State and Jackson State to get it on in the John A. Merritt Classic 

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Tennessee State and Jackson State will renew football pleasantries in the 2026 John A. Merritt Classic on Saturday, August 29 at Nissan Stadium.  The Week 0 , matchup will mark the first time the TSU and JSU have met in the Merritt Classic. The two-storied program has been getting it on since 1949, but since 1990 has primarily met in the Southern Heritage Classic, taking part in 29 of the 36 games, with the last such matchup taking place on September 10, 2022, a 16-3 win for Jackson State. Tennessee…

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Fisk student-athlete killed in shooting on I-65

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Image via Fisk Athletics In what is the epitome of a senseless act the life of Fisk University basketball player Andre Bell was tragically cut short in a shooting Sunday evening.  Bell, 20, and two friends attended a gymnastics event on Sunday evening. After the event, they departed, entering the interstate in a white Nissan Sentra. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Bell’s friends became aware of a dark object next to them in the left lane. The two friends were snapped out of the engrossment of their phones…

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Tennessee State lands former 3-star running back in transfer portal

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Former Minnesota running back Trey Berry has committed to Tennessee State, according to his social media.  Berry was a 3-star prospect coming out of Lanier High School (Montgomery, AL), where he ran for 1,962 yards and 19 touchdowns in 23 games. He was ranked the 55th-best prospect in the state of Alabama and the 127th-best running back in the country, per 247Sports.  He received offers from multiple schools including Middle Tennessee, Jacksonville State, UAB, Marshall, James Madison, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Georgia State, Jackson State, Western Illinois, Illinois State, Arkansas…

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Albany State falls to Central State

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Courtesy of Albany State Athletics 73 Winner Central St. (OH) 6-9,5-6 SIAC 66 Albany St. (GA) 7-7,6-4 SIAC Team 1 2 F Central St. (OH) 32  41  73 Albany St. (GA) 32  34  66 For 20 minutes on Saturday night, the Golden Rams went punch for punch. For the final stretch, they kept fighting. But when the clock hit zero, Albany State was left just short.Albany State dropped a 73–66 decision to Central State in SIAC action, falling to 7–7 overall and 6–4 in conference play. The game was locked in at 32–32…

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Tigers unable to overcome slow start, falls to Eastern Illinois, 74-70

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Early on it appeared that Eastern Illinois was going to run TSU out of the gym, as the Panthers were up by 20 in the first half. However, Tennessee State hunkered down and got back into the game. The Tigers had several opportunities down the stretch to take the lead but were never able to get over the hump, falling to the Panthers 74-70.  Eastern jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Tennessee State got on the board via a Carlous Williams jumper that made the score 9-2 at the…

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Micah Gay headed to Jackson State

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Next season Former Tennessee State linebacker will be terrorizing offenses in the Southwestern Athletic Conference as he announced Friday afternoon he was committing to Jackson State. Gay put it on wax via a post on X that was captioned “Respect my decision” and featured a short video.  For Gay, 2025 was a breakout season that saw him record 61 total tackles (34 solo, 27 assisted), 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.  Following this season the redshirt junior entered the transfer portal and drew…

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Tennessee State v SIUE to appear on ESPNU on January 22

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Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics The Ohio Valley Conference announced the second matchup of its 2025-26 ESPN basketball schedule. The men’s basketball contest will feature Tennessee State at SIUE on Thursday, January 22 at 8 p.m. CT and will air on ESPNU. For the fourth-straight year the League is utilizing a Wild Card selection process to determine the linear broadcasts, with selections determined and announced approximate two weeks before the competition date to ensure the best matchups. The full schedule includes eight total men’s basketball games (five regular season contests…

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Tennessee State uses hot shooting in 90-68 thumping of Western Illinois

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Spurred by efficient offense, the Tennessee State Tigers were able handily to defeat Western Illinois 90-68 Thursday night.  The Tigers shot 55.7% (34-61)from the floor, 41.2% (7-17)from downtown however mystifyingly connected on just 65.2% (15-23) from the charity stripe, a far cry from the 74% they typically shoot as a team.  After being tied early on at 8 and 10 apiece, Tennessee State reclaimed the lead at 12-10 on Khalil London’s layup at the 13:00 mark. TSU would build on that advantage, with a 12-4 spurt taking the lead to…

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Ahmad Miller commits to Syracuse 

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Former Jackson State running back Ahmad Miller is taking his talents to the ACC, as he has committed to Syracuse.  Miller led all SWAC running backs in yards (1,054), yards per carry (6.4), and yards per game (87.8). Miller topped the 100-yard mark five times on the season, with a high of 180 yards coming against Hampton on August 30. According to PFF, Miller forced 52 missed tackles and ran for 750 yards after contact.  Miller appeared in 25 games at Jackson State, rushing for 1,365 yards and 9 touchdowns…

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