GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University football team will kick off its 2021 season this Saturday as the Pioneers travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on Saint Augustine's University. The inaugural gridiron meeting between the Pioneers and Falcons will begin at 1 p.m. (ET) from the Williams Athletic Complex in Raleigh.
The Pioneers are coming off a 4-1 season during the COVID shortened spring which saw the Black & Orange finish with four consecutive victories including a thrilling 28-23 win at Lenoir-Rhyne University in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Game. For TU, it was the program's third SAC football title and fourth conference crown overall in school history.
Tusculum head coach Jerry Odom returns 49 lettermen from the spring including 15 starters from the offense and defense as well as its kicker and punter who have both seen a bulk of the snaps over the past several seasons.
Little is known about this year's season-opening foe. Long-time Fayetteville State assistant coach David Bowser was named the head coach at Saint Augustine's following the 2019 season, but the Falcons and the CIAA membership opted out of the 2020-21 season, due to the COVID pandemic.
The Falcons went 2-8 overall in its last year of competition in 2019 which included a 2-5 CIAA worksheet. In 2019, SAU faced South Atlantic Conference members Lenoir-Rhyne (Lost 68-7) and Mars Hill (Lost 46-14). The Falcons last action was on Nov. 5, 2019 in a 20-16 road loss to Shaw University in Durham.
Eight starters are back from a defensive unit that was near the top of the league in scoring defense and total defense. The Pioneers allowed 17.6 points per game which was second in the SAC and 10th in the nation, while also limiting foes to 311.2 total yards per game (2nd in SAC / 17th in NCAA II) including a conference-best 84.0 rushing yards allowed per game (7th in NCAA II).
Offensively, the Pioneers led the country last spring with 394.2 passing yards per game, while generating a 37.6 points per contest (2nd in SAC / 12th in NCAA II). Overall, TU generated 533.4 yards offensively which was the second-most in the land.
The defense's top two tacklers in All-SAC linebackers Ivan Hogans and Jackson Cauthen have both graduated.
Senior Craig Watts (St. Petersburg, Fla.) will be looking to anchor the linebacker corps after recording 17 tackles in the spring including three tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The Valdosta State transfer accounted for 70 tackles and an interception in 2018 as he helped the Blazers to a NCAA II National Championship.
Senior Jahaud Russ (Tampa, Fla.) will see playing time again at middle linebacker for the Pioneers. He has totaled 20 tackles in his TU career which includes 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, all coming in 2019.
Sophomore Delonte Jones (Harvey, Ill.) is expected to make an impact at linebacker. Jones comes to Tusculum from Iowa Central where he starred in 15 games over the past two seasons including 2019 where he logged 28 stops.
Up front, the Pioneers have veteran depth including Ryan McIntyre, Xavier Clemmons, Quaheim Glasgow and Nelson Louis.
McIntyre (Chipley, Fla.) has logged 24 career games with the Pioneers including all five outings in the spring where he posted 17 tackles including 3.5 for loss while forcing two fumbles and recovered another on a sack.
Clemmons (Douglas, Ga.) has played in 27 outings where he has totaled 60 tackles with eight for loss and four sacks. Glasgow (Newberry, S.C.) is a veteran of 23 contests in the trenches where he has made 67 tackles with 7.5 for loss and a pair of sacks.
Louis (Moultrie, Ga.), the 2018 SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year, is returning to the form he enjoyed in 2018 when he led the Pioneers with 17 tackles for loss including 10 sacks as he finished the season with 53 total stops. This past spring, he tallied 11 tackles including seven for loss and led the team with two sacks.
NCAA II All-American sprinter Widchard Guervil (Ft. Myers, Fla.) returns to the TU football roster this fall at the bandit slot with McIntyre. The 11-time All-Region honoree last played on the Pioneer football team in 2017 where he played in nine contests where he was credited with nine tackles including three sacks. Kane Deshauters (Brevard, N.C.) made nine tackles last spring in his five outings which including two tackles for loss.
In the secondary, free safety John Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) is the team's top returning tackler from the spring campaign as he posted 24 tackles including two for loss.
Senior Raynell Killian (Jacksonville, Fla.) also returns after making 17 tackles including 10 solo hits. The Valdosta State transfer also has two tackles for loss and three pass break-ups in his five outings in the spring. In his two previous seasons at Valdosta, Killian appeared in 24 games in his two seasons with the Blazers. Including last spring, Killian has been part of three straight seasons winning a conference championship.
Ty'Korian Brown (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Jordan Taylor (Miami, Fla.) are slated to man the cornerback positions this fall. Brown was credited with playing in two games this past spring where he logged a pair of solo tackles. In his 2019 rookie season, he tallied 26 stops with eight pass break-ups. Taylor made three appearances in the spring where, posting four tackles with one for loss. Joining the duo at the corner slot are Andrae Robinson (Covington, Ga.) and Jonovan Lowe (Tucker, Ga.).
Jermaine Witherspoon (Miami, Fla.) will be the starting "Rover" where he appeared in all five games this spring, finishing with 14 tackles with a pair of interceptions and four passes defended. Trey Trawick (Milledgeville, Ga.) played in four contests in the spring as he totaled four tackles for the Pioneers.
Adrian Robinson (Covington, Ga.) played in four games last spring, recording three tackles for the Black and Orange.
Leading a very talented receiver corps is junior Justice Parham (Tarpon Springs, Fla.). Last spring, he emerged as the team's top receiver posting a team-high 20 receptions (2nd in SAC) for 364 yards (1st in SAC) and four touchdowns (T1st in SAC). He was also tied for second on the team with 24 points scored.
Tyler Ajiero (Tifton, Ga.) played in all five games in the spring and earned a start in the SAC Championship game. He finished the abbreviated season with 13 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Derrick Wright (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) made nine receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns in his five-game campaign.
Also joining the fray are Georgia Southern transfer Darion Anderson (Warner Robins, Ga.) and former Catawba College wideout Will Sweeper (Irmo, S.C.). Anderson played in 48 games with the Eagles, totaling 22 catches for 474 yards and five touchdowns. Sweeper played two seasons at Catawba including 2018 where he earned a spot on the All-SAC second team. He led the conference averaging 22.8 yards per reception. During his career in Salisbury, North Carolina, he finished with 28 receptions for 634 yards and six touchdowns.
Georgia Southern transfer and former Limestone quarterback Ivan Corbin (Warner Robins, Ga.) is slated to get the start under center for the season-opener. He has logged 17 games of experience including 15 starts at QB. He passed for 1,264 yards and 12 touchdowns in his rookie season at Limestone and followed with 1,143 yards and 10 TD passes to go along with five scoring runs in his sophomore year with the Saints.
Sophomore Bryce Moore (Jefferson, Ga.) could also see playing time at quarterback. He made three appearances last fall and as a redshirt freshman in 2019, he played in 10 games with seven starts while passing for seven touchdowns and nearly 1,000 yards. Junior Joaquin Collazo (Melbourne, Fla.) also played in 10 games in 2019 where he earned the start four times and passed for 808 yards and eight touchdowns.
Maurice Gomillion will anchor the offensive backfield at running back. In his 22-game career at Tusculum, he has rushed for 684 yards and five touchdowns. He has also accounted for 18 career catches for 215 yards and a TD. Last spring, he played in all five games where he rushed for four touchdowns as he totaled 164 yards on 41 carries. He enters this year's season opener having scored a TD in his last four outings.
Junior Cortney Jackson (Abbeville, S.C.) will join Gomillion at running back as the Coffeyville Community College transfer rushed for 255 yards and four touchdowns last spring. Also seeing action at running back last spring were Alvin Barriner (Sebastian, Fla.) and Gerard Hearst (Lincolnton, Ga.).
Sophomore Andrew Theobald (Boise, Idaho) will anchor the offensive front for the Pioneers once again. He will get the start at one of the tackle positions, a post he held down for all five games in the spring. The Garden City Junior College transfer posted an 18-4 in his two JUCO seasons which resulted in a conference title and a runner-up finish for the NJCAA national title.
Thomas Mahoney (Glen Hills, Pa.) emerged as the starting center in the spring and is expected to hold down the post this fall. He played two seasons at Lackawanna Junior College where he was a first team All-Conference standout which included a 2018 undefeated season and a victory in the El Toro Bowl.
The duo of Mike Peppin (Flagler Beach, Fla.) and Tremaine Chatman (New Orleans, La.) are slated to start at guard in the trenches, while Rick Jeantihomme (Orlando, Fla.) will start at right tackle for the Pioneers. Also slated to contribute upfront are Ben Shellenback (Melbourne, Fla.), Jeremiah James (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Colton Edwards (Evensville, Tenn.), Jordan Harmon (Jacksonville, Fla.) and newcomer Joe Lock (Tampa, Fla.).
Sophomore Will Shellenback (Melbourne, Fla.) saw a lot of action at tight end last spring and is slated to get the starting nod this fall. He made five receptions for 58 yards averaging 11.6 yards per catch at tight end. Veteran Aaron Fudge (Jacksonville, Fla.) also saw playing time this spring at tight end as he made two catches including a 64-yard touchdown. He tallied eight catches for 105 yards and a score in his 2018 rookie season at receiver.
On special teams, seasoned-veteran Andrew Cantrell (Sparta, Tenn.) will be handling the duties at punter. During his 26-game career, he has accounted for 140 punts and 5,287 punting yards, both which are ranked in the top-four in the TU record book. His 37.8 career average is ninth-best in school history, while his 40 career punts inside the 20-yardline are third-best by a Pioneer. During the spring, he posted a 39.0 punting average and led the SAC with his nine punts inside the 20. He was recognized for his efforts in the classroom where he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team.
Greeneville native Eli Shepherd will handle the extra point and field goal kicking for Tusculum once again. He has been TU's starting punter the last two seasons where he has accounted for 62 points (8th in TU history) and has connected on 92.7 percent of his extra points (3rd in TU history) and has gone 8-of-13 on field goals. Last spring, he went 24-of-25 on extra points and his 24 points had him tied for second on the team in scoring.
Eduardo Gonzalez (Cosby, Tenn.) will be Tusculum's kickoff specialist as he recorded 29 kicks last spring averaging 52.9 yards per boot with one touchback. Josh Curray (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) will be TU's long-snapper after winning the job last spring as he was solid on his 51 in-game special teams' snaps.
Justice Parham and Jermaine Witherspoon will be TU's punter returners, while Derrick Wright and Tyler Burke will be manning the kick return responsibilities.
Following Saturday's opener, the Pioneers will begin a three-game home-stand beginning with next weekend's home opener against Chowan University. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Pioneer Field.
