Following the departure of Eddie George to Bowling Green, new Tennessee State head coach Reggie Barlow had the task of building out a coaching staff ready to brave through the rest of the Spring Football season. Barlow, a tenured HBCU football coach with a tradition of winning, immediately went to work assembling his staff that features notable names with vast experience.
Per Athlon Sports writer Christian Paolantonio, Barlow is set to hire DC Defenders coaches Shannon Harris and Fred Kaiss to his inaugural coaching staff for the Tigers. Harris was named Defenders’ interim coach following Barlow’s departure, and Kaiss was the team’s offensive coordinator. Per comments obtained by Sports Illustrated-HBCU Legends’ Kyle Mosley, Barlow is also prepared to bring in Super Bowl-winning coach Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator.
“Gregg Williams, who’s an all-time NFL coach and defensive coordinator, has done a great job wherever. He’s gone on to coach the Super Bowls,” Coach Barlow told HBCU Legends. “Gregg Williams will be here with us at Tennessee State. He was a defensive coordinator here in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans, and we play in that same stadium. And he’s coming.”
Barlow’s hires are noteworthy, as they are meant to help continue the winning momentum for Tennessee State that George built in his tenure at the helm of the program. Barlow spoke about this in his introductory press conference on Monday.
“Coach George came here and took the program and put it on good stable ground, brought in the right type of people,” Barlow said. “I think there’s a good bit here that we can work with, that we can build off of and take that positive momentum into the future, so we’re looking forward to that.”
The new Tigers coach certainly knows success. Barlow started his coaching career at Alabama State, where he also played. As quarterbacks coach for two seasons and head coach for eight, he led the Hornets to a 49-42 record and three SWAC East Division titles. Notable players like Super Bowl XLVII champion Tarvaris Jackson thrived under his leadership. His teams also achieved an 80% graduation rate.
In the Monday introductory presser, Barlow laid out a clear vision of how he’ll continue the success of Tennessee State in his tenure. In the 2024 season, the team made history with a 9-4 record, earning a share of the Big South-OVC championship and securing their first FCS Playoff appearance since 2013.
“We’re going to recruit. We’re going to get good players, good coaches. We’re going to support all sports. You’ll see the football team at volleyball games, basketball games—we’re part of the whole TSU experience.”
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