By REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff
With influx of Division I transfers, Tennessee St. coach shows optimism
Two years ago, Tennessee State coach James Webster inherited a program that had had three losing seasons in the last five years. The Tigers were devoid of talent and struggled to compete in the Ohio Valley Conference despite having won back-to-back league titles in the late 1990s under former coach L.C. Cole.
TSU went 2-9 during Webster's first season in 2005 and was among the worst teams in the country. Now, three days from beginning his third season at TSU, Webster says the Tigers are one of the more improved teams in college football.
"I think we're ahead of schedule," Webster said when asked to assess TSU's program. "You have to get your people in to see where you are. We were 2-9 my first year and last in the OVC. The last game we played last year we had a chance to share the OVC championship.
"I didn't think we could make that much progress in two years. We've upped the expectations for our fans. I really feel this program is ahead of schedule. We've got some young men that have stepped up and set high goals and standards for this program."
An indication if TSU's program is ahead of schedule could come Saturday night when the Tigers host defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alabama A&M in the John Merritt Classic at Nashville's LP Field. Kickoff is 6.
A&M has beaten TSU the last two seasons and Webster says it's time the Tigers got back on the winning side.
"This is the most important game of the season," he said. "It's our Classic. We've lost two years in a row. We've got to get off to a positive start. With us being in our third year, it's important for us to win the football game and prove to ourselves and our fans that we've made progress."
Webster has turned TSU's program around with an influx of Division I transfers.
Last season, the Tigers had six Division I transfers in their starting lineup, including quarterback Antonio Heffner, who came from South Carolina, and linebacker Kalvin Baker, who came from Florida. Heffner was second in the league in passing, averaging just under 190 yards through the air, while Baker was one of the Tigers' top tacklers.
This season, TSU will have at least five more Division I transfers in the starting lineup, including three on defense.
Sophomore cornerback Marquez Hall came from Vanderbilt. Linebackers Kellen Woodard and Ramone Willis came from Western Michigan and Illinois, respectively. Nose guard Harold Avodele came from Coffeyville Community College.
On offense, wide receivers Kwame Patrick and Rod Evans came from UAB and Mississippi State, respectively.
"It takes time to build a program ... to get the kind of players that you want," Webster said. "We're going into our third year and we're beginning to get the kind of players we want in our program. We're catching up."
As a result, Webster believes his team will contend for the OVC championship. OVC officials picked the Tigers to finish fifth in the league's preseason poll. Webster expects his team to be a lot better than that.
"I expect us to win the OVC," he said. "I don't see anybody on our schedule, if we play well, we can't beat. I want this football team to be confident.
"I want them to feel we can win the OVC. I don't want them to question whether we can win."
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