New Bowling Green head coach Eddie George has broken his silence about his departure from Tennessee State. In a press release issued by the Falcons announcing George as their 21st head football coach, he shared a few words about his departure.
“There is never a good time for retirement or making a transition, moving on to a new coaching position. I had to really weigh my options and look at what I was walking away from and where I was going toward. There’s a lot of reasons why I made this decision,” George said. “My intentions were really to stay here at Tennessee State with hopes that things would definitely get better and so forth. And they will, eventually. But just not in this time frame. And I understand that.”
News of George being a top target for Bowling Green started to circulate on Saturday evening via ESPN's Pete Thamel.
“Tennessee State head football coach Eddie George has emerged as a target in Bowling Green's head coaching search, sources told ESPN,” Thamel said in his report. “A final decision is expected in the near future, as he was one of three finalists interviewed Friday.”
Article Continues BelowThe process moved quickly, as George was announced as the new Bowling Green coach on Sunday morning. In the statement, George also expressed his excitement to pursue the opportunity of being the Falcon's latest head coach.
“I am truly excited to be the head coach at Bowling Green State University,” said George. “Bowling Green is a wonderful community that has embraced the school and the athletics department. We are eager to immerse ourselves in the community and help build this program to the greatness it deserves. I am overwhelmed with excitement and joy for the possibilities this opportunity holds. I'm also thrilled to be back in the great state of Ohio, where I played my college football. I look forward to meeting the team, the coaches, everyone in the athletics department and everyone in the BGSU and Bowling Green community.”
George's work to restore Tennessee State, a blue-blood HBCU football power, back to it's traditional dominance captured the attention of the sports world. Since taking the helm of Tennessee State football in 2021, Eddie George has transformed the program into a rising powerhouse. In his first season, the team finished with a 5-6 record, but this year they’ve achieved a remarkable 9-4 record and secured a conference title.
Now, he looks to be the latest coach to find success at Bowling Green, following in the footsteps of coaching luminaries such as Urban Meyer.