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Can Tennessee State football improve on 2-10 season in 2025? Three storylines for 2026
Tennessee State football kicks off its second season under coach Reggie Barlow with two huge games − versus Jackson State in the John Merritt Classic at Vanderbilt on Aug. 29 and at Georgia on Sept. 5.
Preseason practice gets underway on July 31 with the Tigers according to the school, who went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025, determined to improve an offense that was among the worst in the FCS.
Unlike the offense, the defense made improvement through the season and has some key returning starters hoping to keep that momentum going.
TSU WANTS TO IMPROVE ON WORST SEASON: After posting 2-10 record, Tennessee State football knows what to fix
Here are three storylines to watch:
Daylin Lee may win TSU football QB1 spot
The Tigers tried three quarterbacks during the 2025 season − Byron McNair, Jonathan Palmer and Caleb McCreary − and finished eighth out of nine teams in the OVC in passing. McNair ended up as the starter and is the only one of the three still on the roster.
McNair, who completed 153 of 244 passes for 1,588 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions, will not, however, enter camp alone on the first team. He will be locked in a battle with transfer Daylin Lee from Winston-Salem State, a senior who made the OVC Players to Watch list. Lee, who is 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, had 5,616 career passing yards and 55 touchdowns at Winston-Salem State.
Marcelis Tate, a dual-threat transfer quarterback from South Florida, and freshman Justin Patton from McCalla, Alabama, will also get a look in preseason.
TSU football offensive plan is balance
Along with finishing next-to-last in the OVC in passing in 2025, TSU was last in rushing offense (81.2 yards). So there is nowhere to go but up, and that could happen with three key players on the roster on that side of the ball in running back Zack Simmons-Brown, wide receiver Cam Bulluck and tight end Aaron Duncan.
Simmons-Brown became the starting running back in 2025 after Kendric Rhymes was injured and rushed for 456 yards and two TDs.
Bulluck is a transfer from Murray State who had 10 catches for 140 yards and two TDs for the Racers in 2025. Duncan is a transfer from Gardner-Webb, who will be counted on to replace two-year starting tight end Jason Hoath, who is no longer on the roster.
TSU defense led by key returners in 2026
Several of TSU's returning starters played key roles in helping the Tigers finish second in the OVC in total defense (339.8 yards) and fourth in scoring defense (26.6 points).
The defense will be built around returning starting linebacker Sammy Taylor, a former Ensworth star who heads into his senior season with 67 career tackles. Taylor will assume a leadership role in preseason drills where he will be joined by fellow returning starters Bryce Gray, a defensive tackle who had 25 tackles and three sacks in 2025, and three defensive backs in Syncere Safeeullah from Hillsboro, who transferred from Nebraska in 2025, Kaiki Baker, also from Hillsboro, and Taeshawn Jefferson from Memphis.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Can Tennessee State football improve on 2-10 season in 2025? Three storylines for 2026
Can Tennessee StateThreeTennessee State'sTigersTennessee StateReggie BarlowJackson StateJohn Merritt ClassicVanderbiltAugGeorgiaSept
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