Tennessee State’s first practice started the search for a new QB
The Tennessean’s Mike Organ focused on the QB situation at TSU where new coach Reggie Barlow is looking for a replacement for Draylen Ellis.
Nashville is hoping to become the permanent home of the championship, similar to Omaha and Oklahoma City hosting the College World Series for baseball and softball, respectively.The city’s entertainment scene, country music culture and proximity to several FCS programs were key factors in Nashville’s successful bid.
Omaha has the College Baseball World Series, Oklahoma City has the College Softball World Series, and Nashville has the Football Championship Subdivision national championship — at least for the next two years.
The FCS national championship committee was in town July 29 and 30 to begin preparation for the title game, which will be played on Jan. 5, 2026, at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium after spending the previous 15 years in Frisco, Texas.
A natural question for members of the committee: Is the FCS national championship here to stay?
“The Frisco model has been a very good model like Omaha and Oklahoma City for baseball and softball,” said Ty Halpin, NCAA director of championships. “And some other events have benefited by having kind of a locked-in location. I’m not tied to that with FCS. If it happens, fabulous. If it doesn’t and it seems like the kind of event that we need to move around a little bit, that also is fine.”
Officials want FCS national championship in Nashville for the long term
Now that it’s in Nashville, it’s up to those who submitted the bid in November 2024 to try to keep it here. The bid was made by the Nashville Sports Council, the Ohio Valley Conference, which is based in Nashville, and Vanderbilt.
“We were awarded the championship for two years and we knew that when we bid, there will be another open bid cycle and we approached it with the mindset that we would like to extend it,” OVC commissioner Beth DeBauche said. “We certainly think it’s a good thing for the city and for the community and for all of the FCS.”
Halpin, in his 25th year with the NCAA, said Nashville was up against some stiff competition when it bid for the 2025 and 2026 title games. He said that being a location similar to Frisco, which is 30 miles from Dallas, helped.
“Nashville fits with our fan bases,” Halpin said. “The country music piece, the overall entertainment value. There’s a lot of things that fold in just as it did in Dallas and Frisco. There are many similar things here that I think will prove to be very virtuous for our championship.”
TSU athletic director Mikki Allen serves on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee and was part of the push to bring the championship game to Nashville.
Strong FCS Tennessee representation is a plus for national championship
There are six FCS teams in Tennessee, including Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay in Middle Tennessee, behind only Texas (10), New York (nine), Pennsylvania (eight) and North Carolina (seven). Louisiana also has six FCS programs.
Being in a state with significant FCS representation benefited Nashville in its effort to secure the championship game, Halpin said, and if one of those teams earns a berth in the title game, it would be even better.
“People here know what FCS football is about, what it feels like and what it looks like,” he said. “We certainly would love to have a local team make it. There’s a lot of history and a lot of great programs here.”
TSU, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin shared the Big South/OVC title in 2024 with Southeast Missouri. TSU, UT Martin and SEMO earned FCS playoff berths.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
