With only a week before the season starts, Tennessee State has lost an all-American defensive back who joined the team in Eddie George's tenure with the program.
Tiger DB Carmani Cobbs has entered the transfer portal, per a post on his social media.
“I will be entering the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility. Thank you Tennessee State University for allowing me to develop and build as a man on and off the field,” he wrote on Sunday afternoon.
Cobbs joined Tennessee State from Southeastern Missouri in 2024, where he played seven games with the Tigers in George's last season coaching the team. He finished the season with seven tackles (six solo) and two pass breakups. He was expected to be a key returner for the team in the Reggie Barlow era and was even named as a 2025 Boxtorow HBCU All-American.
This certainly affects continuity for the team, as FCS Central's Zach McKinnell expressed in a post on his X account about the transfer portal move.
“Another loss for Tennessee State… The Tigers only return 5 significant contributors (Players who played over 200 snaps) from last year's FCS Playoff squad. It'll be a completely new roster on Aug. 30 when North Carolina A&T travels to Nashville.”
McKinnnell's post certainly exposes the challenge that Barlow will have to contend with in his first season at the helm of the program. Although Cobbs didn't play for a good portion of the season in 2024, he was emblematic of the type of talent that George was securing for the Tigers that ultimately turned into a highly successful season where the team won a share of the OVC-Big South Championship as well as a trip to the FCS Playoffs.
Tennessee State with face off against North Carolina A&T of the CAA at home on Saturday, August 30th at 4:30 PM EST.
