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Chennis Berry and South Carolina State made history in July by hiring Tess Abbott as the director of recruiting. Abbott is the first woman in program history to join the football staff. In her role, she will oversee every aspect of the Bulldogs' recruiting strategy, including planning and managing official and unofficial visits, evaluating talent, and handling recruiting operations both on and off campus.
She spoke about the hire, saying, “I am committed to advancing recruiting efforts through strategic planning, relationship development, and operational excellence while upholding the tradition, discipline, and championship standard of South Carolina State Bulldog football.”
Before joining South Carolina State, Abbott worked as the Director of On-Campus Recruiting and Administrative Operations for UMass Football. In this role, she managed on-campus recruiting events, coordinated team operations and logistics, and handled various administrative tasks and projects. Her career also includes experience as the Community Relations and Social Media Coordinator for the High Point Rockers, her hometown professional baseball team.
Abbott earned both her master's and bachelor's degrees in Sport Management. She completed her master's at Coastal Carolina University, where she also worked as a fitness graduate assistant and interned with Coastal Carolina Football in player personnel and operations. Her bachelor's degree comes from Western Michigan University, where she pursued a double minor in Event Management and General Business.
The hire puts Abbott on the staff of one of the most compelling coaches in HBCU football. Berry is known for his tremendous roster depth and his ability to find talent that fits the scheme of his teams. In a moment captured by WACH sports reporter Claire Foley last week, Berry gave a peek into his personal recruiting philosophy and how it helped them in shaping the current Bulldog roster/
“At Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, when we went out, we were very intentional about what we recruited, okay? We don't just take guys, we have 44 newcomers in this program, okay? 32 transfers and 12 really, really good freshmen. So we didn't just take guys, we don't just get into portal and just take guys. They have to fit our culture. They gotta fit what we all about.”
