Tennessee State head coach Eddie George and defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher may need to start searching for another linebacker after losing Monroe Beard III to the transfer portal. Beard, one of the top linebackers in all of FCS football, is capitalizing on his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer. Zach McKinnell of FCS Football Central first broke the news.

Beard anchored the second best overall defense in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Tigers ranked seventh in rush defense, but first overall against the pass and third in points allowed. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer earned OVC First Team Defense honors after nearly leading the conference in tackles with 95, 10 less than Gardner Webb's William McRainey. McRainey, though, played three extra games.

Along with the 95 tackles, Monroe Beard also racked up five pass deflections, four tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, an interception, and half a sack. He had the highest amount of tackles in a single game the 2023-24 season with 19 against UT Martin. That performance also set the record for most tackles in a game at Tennessee State. After their opening game against Notre Dame, Beard registered 11 or more tackles in the ensuing five matchups.

Beard's tackling prowess warranted an exclusive interview with Mike Organ of The Tennessean, particularly after his 19-tackle performance.

“I'm from Chattanooga, I know all about TSU's history, and I transferred here to do things like that,” Beard told Organ. “Put on for my state and put on for this university. But we didn't come out with the outcome we wanted. I didn't find out until later that I had set that record. I was pretty happy about it but didn't celebrate too much because the biggest thing is to come out and win.”

With Beard now seemingly out of the picture, Eddie George will have to turn to others on the roster to replicate his impact, both on and off the field.

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“Monroe has been wonderful; comes into work, plays with a lot of passion, everyday he brings that same energy,” George said. “With how he works on the practice field it's no surprise that he's having the year that he's having. He's been a tremendous blessing for us… You see the hunger that he has and he brings to the locker room. He brings a tone to our defense that is relentless and there is no quit in it.”

It didn't take long for Beard to impress his All-Pro coach. He showed out in Tennessee State's first game of the year against Notre Dame, racking up seven tackles in their losing effort.

“The biggest thing for me was that we were clearly out of the game and it's the fourth quarter and [Beard] came off the field exhausted and he had to go back out there for punt,” George explained. “He was like, ‘I'm tired, I'm exhausted.' But he went back out there anyway and made the tackle. That told me he's willing to sacrifice whatever it is, no matter how much we're down, how tired he is, the situation in the game, and he's still going to go out there and give it his all.”