Eddie George's Tennessee State Tigers has six team captains this year. That's six more than the team had last year. George's change in philosophy on the leadership of the roster signals a new feel to his Tiger team in his fourth year at the helm of the program.

In a quote attained by the Tennessean, George shared his thoughts on the decision.

“I felt like last year no one really stood out to be a captain; no one had earned that right,” George said. “I felt like leadership was a big problem that needed to be addressed. I felt like we weren't a tight-knit group. I'm not going to have captains just to have them. I did that, or didn't do that as the case may be, to see who was going to step up and take it.”

The expectations are higher this season because of the newly chosen leaders in the locker room and field. The new captains include quarterback Draylen Ellis, Jalen Bell, Connor Meadows, Jalen McClendon, Ahmad Nelson, and Jason Hoath. So far, the Tigers have found success, winning two HBCU matchups against Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. However, the Tigers did fall to perennial FCS contender North Dakota State.

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The captains and George have something to prove going into week four. They hit the road and head east to Cookville, Tennessee to play against Tennessee Tech. Last season TSU took a tough loss at home against Tech ending 35-0. With the emergence of new team captains, fans are hopeful for a better outcome this match-up.

The Golden Eagles have faced some challenges early on resulting in a 0-2 record. Their season opener was against Middle Tennessee State where they fell short 32-24. The next match-up was against Georgia, then ranked as the number-one team in college football. They were soundly defeated 48-3.

Now the two teams go head-to-head on September 21st with kickoff at 1:30 CST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.