# 2024 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team

The 2024 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team represented Tennessee Technological University as a member of the Big South–OVC Football Association during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bobby Wilder, the Golden Eagles played home games at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, Tennessee. This was the team's first winning season since 2011.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Big South-OVC Conference released their preseason poll on July 17, 2024. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | UT Martin | 61 (5) |
| 2 | Eastern Illinois | 53 (2) |
| 3 | Southeast Missouri State | 51 (2) |
| 4 | Tennessee State | 41 |
| 5 | Gardner-Webb | 40 |
| 6 | Charleston Southern | 27 |
| 7 | Tennessee Tech | 24 |
| 8 | Lindenwood | 18 |
| 9 | Western Illinois | 9 |

### Transfers
#### Outgoing

| Player | Position | New school |
| O.J. Ross | RB | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| Justin Pegues | RB | Bowling Green |
| Jacquez McGowan | DB | Eastern Kentucky |
| Nick Bigelow | P | Gardner-Webb |
| Jyron Gilmore | DB | Georgia State |
| Jayvian Allen | RB | North Alabama |
| Bryce Phillips | DB | San Diego State |
| Ellis Adams | OL | Middle Tennessee |
| Wes Thompson | OL | East Mississippi CC |
| Gerald Kilgore | DB | South Carolina |
| Dominic Howard | DB | South Carolina State |
| Bradley Clark | WR | Southern Illinois |
| Jalal Dean | WR | Tennessee State |
| Hayes Gibson | QB | Valparaiso |
| Nyquan Washington | DB | Western Michigan |
| Leon Franklin | RB | Unknown |
| Brad Clark | WR | Unknown |

#### Incoming

| Player | Position | Previous school |
| James Edwards | DB | Appalachian State |
| Omari Philyaw | DB | Appalachian State |
| Kalvyn Crummie | LB | Army |
| La’Vario Wiley | DB | Central Michigan |
| Donnell Wilson | OL | Coastal Carolina |
| Kyron Cumby | RB | Delaware |
| Coby Walton | QB | Georgia Southern |
| Sean Pozniak | OL | Maine |
| Ty Moss | DB | Marshall |
| TJ Holmberg | OL | Marshall |
| Jalin Shephard | DB | Mississippi State |
| Dylan Laible | QB | Missouri |
| Caldra Williford | DB | Murray State |
| D.J. Linkins | WR | New Hampshire |
| Gio Hales | LB | Norfolk State |
| Obie Sanni | RB | Old Dominion |
| Jordan Yates | WR | Sam Houston |
| Taylor Love | LB | Tulane |
| Jalen Mitchell | RB | UConn |
| Jameson Wharton | DB | Vanderbilt |
| Luke Shields | WR | Virginia Tech |
| Jay Parker | WR | Western Illinois |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee* | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN | ESPN+ | L 25–32 | 16,000 |
| September 7 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 1 (FBS) Georgia* | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 3–48 | 93,033 |
| September 21 | 1:30 p.m. | Tenneseee State | Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy) | ESPN+ | W 24–14 | 8,019 |
| September 28 | 3:00 p.m. | at Gardner–Webb | Ernest W. Spangler StadiumBoiling Springs, NC | ESPN+ | W 52–21 | 2,451 |
| October 5 | 1:30 p.m. | South Carolina State* | Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN | ESPN+ | L 20–22 | 5,974 |
| October 12 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Southeast Missouri State | Houck StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | ESPN+ | L 3–34 | 5,220 |
| October 19 | 3:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | L 21–37 | 2,682 |
| October 26 | 1:30 p.m. | Charleston Southern | Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN | ESPN+ | W 28–23 | 5,498 |
| November 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Lindenwood | Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN | ESPN+ | W 52–10 | 8,144 |
| November 9 | 2:00 p.m. | at Samford* | Pete Hanna StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 27–7 | 3,013 |
| November 16 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 18 UT Martin | Graham StadiumMartin, TN (Sgt. York Trophy) | ESPN+ | W 10–9 | 2,914 |
| November 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Eastern Illinois | Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN | ESPN+ | W 23–6 | 6,790 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at Middle Tennesssee (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 25 |
| Blue Raiders (FBS) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 32 |
at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN
* Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Rain, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,000
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jake Rose, Jeremy Kellem, Justin Beasley
| Statistics | TNTC | MTSU |
| First downs | 21 | 20 |
| Total yards | 341 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 67 | 118 |
| Passing yards | 274 | 210 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–45–1 | 20–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:09 | 32:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 27/38, 256 yds, 3 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 11 carries, 52 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 7 receptions, 61 yards |
| Middle Tennessee | Passing | Nicholas Vattiato | 20/35, 210 yds, 2 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Rushing | Frank Peasant | 10 carries, 49 yards, 2 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Receiving | Omari Kelly | 4 receptions, 47 yards |

### at No. 1 (FBS) Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| No. 1 (FBS) Bulldogs | 14 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 48 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
* Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: W at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 93,033
* Referee: Marc Curles
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Ashley Stroehlein (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | TNTC | UGA |
| First downs | 9 | 27 |
| Total yards | 134 | 498 |
| Rushing yards | 116 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 18 | 332 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 5–8–0 | 28–37–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:35 | 31:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 5/8, 18 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Aidan Littles | 6 carries, 45 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 1 reception, 12 yards |
| Georgia | Passing | Carson Beck | 18/25, 242 yards, 5 TD |
| Georgia | Rushing | Trevor Etienne | 5 carries, 78 yards |
| Georgia | Receiving | Arian Smith | 4 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD |

### Tennessee State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Golden Eagles | 14 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN
* Date: September 21, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 8,019
* Referee: Branden McCain
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks
| Statistics | TNST | TNTC |
| First downs | 14 | 15 |
| Total yards | 246 | 314 |
| Rushing yards | 0 | 220 |
| Passing yards | 246 | 94 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–39–2 | 12–25–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:00 | 30:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee State | Passing | Draylen Ellis | 22/39, 246 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Tennessee State | Rushing | CJ Evans | 6 carries, 14 yards |
| Tennessee State | Receiving | Karate Brenson | 9 receptions, 99 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 12/25, 94 yds, 1 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Obie Sanni | 6 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 4 receptions, 39 yards |

### at Gardner–Webb

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 52 |
| Runnin' Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,451
* Referee: Gabe Tomlin
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Phil Constantino, Matt Covert
| Statistics | TNTC | GWEB |
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| Total yards | 414 | 329 |
| Rushing yards | 340 | 103 |
| Passing yards | 74 | 226 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 5–10–0 | 27–41–2 |
| Time of possession | 24:42 | 31:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 5/10, 74 yds, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Aidan Littles | 10 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 2 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD |
| Gardner–Webb | Passing | Ren Hefley | 13/20, 116 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Gardner–Webb | Rushing | Carson Gresock | 13 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Gardner–Webb | Receiving | Jordan Bly | 6 receptions, 6 yards, 1 TD |

### South Carolina State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 13 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 22 |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN
* Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,974
* Referee: Michael Lennie
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks
| Statistics | SCST | TNTC |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 465 | 391 |
| Rushing yards | 53 | 95 |
| Passing yards | 412 | 296 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–31–2 | 23–43–2 |
| Time of possession | 27:27 | 32:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Carolina State | Passing | Eric Phoenix | 17/31, 412 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| South Carolina State | Rushing | Deondra Duehart | 13 carries, 30 yards |
| South Carolina State | Receiving | Caden High | 7 receptions, 150 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 22/42, 300 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 12 carries, 36 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | Jay Parker | 3 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 11 Southeast Missouri State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 11 Redhawks | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
at Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,220
* Referee: Zach Erdmann
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Erik Sean, Rick Wieser
| Statistics | TNTC | SEMO |
| First downs | 20 | 23 |
| Total yards | 265 | 455 |
| Rushing yards | 34 | 37 |
| Passing yards | 231 | 418 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26-47-2 | 34-46-2 |
| Time of possession | 30:29 | 29:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Jordyn Potts | 26/47, 231 yards, 2 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 10 carries, 25 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 7 receptions, 90 yards |
| Southeast Missouri State | Passing | Paxton DeLaurent | 34/46, 418 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Southeast Missouri State | Rushing | Cole Ruble | 10 carries, 31 yards |
| Southeast Missouri State | Receiving | Cam Pedro | 6 receptions, 111 yards |

### at Western Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Leathernecks | 10 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 37 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,682
* Referee: Brad Carre
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Russ Eisenstein, Cannon Wynkoop, Caden Kratz
| Statistics | TNTC | WIU |
| First downs | 17 | 26 |
| Total yards | 330 | 446 |
| Rushing yards | 68 | 186 |
| Passing yards | 262 | 260 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–34–2 | 15–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 22:13 | 37:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 23/33, 262 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 7 carries, 86 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 7 receptions, 84 yards |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 15/24, 260 yds, 2 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Nathan Lamb | 17 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 6 receptions, 181 yards, 1 TD |

### Charleston Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 23 |
| Golden Eagles | 3 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 28 |
at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,498
* Referee: Zach Erdmann
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks
| Statistics | CHSO | TNTC |
| First downs | 15 | 16 |
| Total yards | 335 | 343 |
| Rushing yards | 122 | 168 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 175 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–29–2 | 9–16–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:25 | 28:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charleston Southern | Passing | Kaleb Jackson | 14/29, 213 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Charleston Southern | Rushing | Tyson Greenwade | 24 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD |
| Charleston Southern | Receiving | Chris Rhone | 3 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 9/16, 175 yds, 2 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 15 carries, 94 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 3 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD |

### Lindenwood

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 10 | 28 | 7 | 52 |
at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN
* Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 8,144
* Referee: Drew Myers
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks
| Statistics | LIN | TNTC |
| First downs | 17 | 24 |
| Total yards | 249 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 68 | 400 |
| Passing yards | 181 | 119 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–28–1 | 13–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:19 | 30:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lindenwood | Passing | Nate Glantz | 17/27, 181 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Lindenwood | Rushing | Robert Giaimo | 10 carries, 44 yards |
| Lindenwood | Receiving | Jeff Caldwell | 4 receptions, 50 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 13/20, 119 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 13 carries, 128 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD |

### at Samford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 27 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Pete Hanna Stadium • Homewood, AL
* Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Rain, 78 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,013
* Referee: Jake Grombach
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Eli Gold, Damian Mitchell, Lynden Blake
| Statistics | TNTC | SAM |
| First downs | 15 | 8 |
| Total yards | 283 | 184 |
| Rushing yards | 160 | 19 |
| Passing yards | 123 | 165 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–26–0 | 22–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:09 | 26:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 13/26, 123 yds |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Tremel Jones | 1 carry, 79 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | Tremel Jones | 2 receptions, 37 yards |
| Samford | Passing | Quincy Crittendon | 22/32, 165 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Samford | Rushing | Damonta Witherspoon | 7 carries, 17 yards |
| Samford | Receiving | D.J. Rias | 4 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 18 UT Martin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 18 Skyhawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
at Graham Stadium • Martin, TN
* Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,914
* Referee: Michael Lennie
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Davis Gregory, John Hatler, Chris Brinkley
| Statistics | TNTC | UTM |
| First downs | 13 | 9 |
| Total yards | 247 | 185 |
| Rushing yards | 107 | 43 |
| Passing yards | 140 | 142 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–31–1 | 13–32–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:14 | 26:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 15/29, 128 yds, 1 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 11 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 3 receptions, 56 yards |
| UT Martin | Passing | Kinkead Dent | 13/32, 142 yds, 2 INT |
| UT Martin | Rushing | Kinkead Dent | 13 carries, 20 yards |
| UT Martin | Receiving | Trevonte Rucker | 2 receptions, 51 yards |

### Eastern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Golden Eagles | 3 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN
* Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 49 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,790
* Referee: Gabriel Tomlin
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks
| Statistics | EIU | TNTC |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Total yards | 241 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 80 | 200 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 128 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–28–1 | 11–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:23 | 29:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing | Pierce Holley | 14/20, 129 yards |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing | Jay Pearson | 11 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving | Cooper Willman | 9 receptions, 86 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 9/16, 88 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 20 carries, 131 yards |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | Torin Baker | 3 receptions, 49 yards |