Bowling Green hires Eddie George, former NFL All-Pro RB, as head coach

Former NFL All-Pro running back and Tennessee State head coach Eddie George has been named the new head coach of Bowling Green, the program announced Sunday.

George, who won the 1995 Heisman Trophy at Ohio State, will take over the MAC program after former coach Scot Loeffler took an assistant job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

SOURCE: Tennessee State head coach Eddie George, the 51-year old Ohio State legend, has accepted the head coaching job at Bowling Green. The hire is expected to be made official later this afternoon. Under George, TSU last season won its first conference championship since 1999.…

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 9, 2025

“I am overwhelmed with excitement and joy for the possibilities this opportunity holds,” George said in a statement Sunday. “I’m also thrilled to be back in the great state of Ohio, where I played my college football. I look forward to meeting the team, the coaches, everyone in the athletics department and everyone in the BGSU and Bowling Green community.”

George went 24-22 in four seasons at TSU, including a 9-4 record and appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last season, as he was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year. He interviewed for the Chicago Bears’ head-coaching job in January, but the Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that month.

George got the TSU job one year after Deion Sanders became the head coach at Jackson State, starting a trend of former NFL stars becoming head coaches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This offseason, Norfolk State hired Michael Vick and Delaware State hired DeSean Jackson.

George becomes the third Black HBCU head coach to get a Football Bowl Subdivision job, joining Willie Jeffries in 1979 and Sanders in 2023.

“We are so pleased to welcome Eddie George back to Ohio as the next head coach of our football program,” Bowling Green president Rodney K. Rogers said in a statement. “Throughout his career in and outside of football, Eddie has embraced innovation and a growth mindset, founded in work ethic with a willingness to embrace continued learning and taking risks, when appropriate. These are core principles at Bowling Green and the reason we are experiencing the momentum we see today.”

Bowling Green is coming off three consecutive bowl appearances, including a 6-2 record in MAC play in 2024, but the Falcons haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2015. The roster is in a rebuild after losing most of its top players, including All-American tight end Harold Fannin Jr.

As an NFL player, George made four Pro Bowls with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans — eventually having his No. 27 retired by the Titans in 2019 — and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1996.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)