2025 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team

The 2025 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team represented Tennessee Tech University as a member of the OVC–Big South Football Association during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Bobby Wilder. The Golden Eagles played home games at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, Tennessee. After a win against the Davidson in Week 3, the Golden Eagles started 3–0 for the first time since 1977.

2025 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football
OVC–Big South champion
NCAA Division I First Round, L 6–31 vs. North Dakota
Conference	OVC–Big South Football Association
Ranking
STATS	No. 6
FCS Coaches	No. 7
Record	11–2 (8–0 OVC–Big South)
Head coach	Bobby Wilder (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Scott (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Chase Mummau (1st season)
Home stadium	Tucker Stadium
Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

2025 OVC–Big South football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Tennessee Tech $^		8	–	0					11	–	2
UT Martin		6	–	2					6	–	6
Gardner–Webb		5	–	3					7	–	5
Lindenwood		5	–	3					6	–	6
Charleston Southern		4	–	4					5	–	7
Southeast Missouri State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Western Illinois		3	–	5					4	–	8
Eastern Illinois		2	–	6					3	–	8
Tennessee State		0	–	8					2	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Offseason

Preseason poll

The OVC–Big South Football Association released its preseason poll on July 16, 2025. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish first in the conference.

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Caldra Williford	DB	Baylor
Dyson Bell	DB	Copiah–Lincoln
Jordyn Potts	QB	Eastern Kentucky
Cayman Spaulding	LB	Georgia Tech
Myles Parker	DL	Houston
Mekhi Penix	WR	Independence CC
Seth Maldonado	WR	Lincoln (CA)
Bertin Placide	DB	Merrimack
Turner McLaughlin	LS	South Florida
Daniel Rickert	DE	Virginia
Elijah Ruiz	OL	West Georgia
Theron Gaines	DL	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Maurice Lapierre	DE	Alabama State
Stefon Young-Rolle	DE	Alabama State
Tyler Swann	DL	Alabama State
Andrew Smith	DB	Alcorn State
Cash Devaughn	DT	Barton
Gavin Bryson	DB	Central Connecticut
Leon Thomas	DB	Charleston Southern
Tyler Wagner	OL	Coastal Carolina
Gregory Turner	LB	East Carolina
Christian Shaw	DB	East Texas A&M
Drew Wilder	OL	Eastern Illinois
Kekoa Visperas	QB	Eastern Washington
Brian Courtney	TE	Florida State
Darius Meeks	OL	Grambling State
Richie Munoz	QB	Incarnate Word
Kaleb Purdy	S	Kansas
Chinonso Opara	OL	LIU
Q'Daryius Jennings	RB	Murray State
Jeremy Mendez	DT	Pace
Noah Robinson	WR	Robert Morris
Griffin Patterson	TE	Shippensburg
Tucker Kyne	TE	Tennessee State
Bryant Williams	WR	Tennessee State
Quintell Quinn	RB	Texas Southern
Jace Wilson	QB	Texas Southern
Ahmad Haston	QB	UMass
Kaleb Brown	LB	UTSA
Josh Hand	LB	Virginia Tech
Kennedy Fauntleroy	RB	Wake Forest
Maury Sullivan	WR	Washburn
Chima Iwuagwu	DL	West Texas A&M
Tre Holloway	WR	Wheeling

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	12:00 p.m.	Cumberland*	No. 21	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 65–0	N/A
September 6	12:00 p.m.	Chattanooga*	No. 17	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 45–17	4,471
September 13	12:00 p.m.	Davidson*	No. 15	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 72–14	7,278
September 27	3:30 p.m.	at Tennessee State	No. 13	Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)	ESPN+	W 35–8	2,137
October 4	12:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 11	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 66–20	5,108
October 11	3:00 p.m.	at Charleston Southern	No. 10	Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 27–13	1,505
October 18	1:00 p.m.	at Lindenwood	No. 8	Harlen C. Hunter Stadium St. Charles, MO	ESPN+	W 52–28	2,737
October 25	12:00 p.m.	Southeast Missouri State	No. 9	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 42–23	5,472
November 1	12:00 p.m.	Gardner–Webb	No. 9	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 27–21	7,517
November 8	12:00 p.m.	at Eastern Illinois	No. 5	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	W 21–9	2,266
November 15	12:30 p.m.	at Kentucky*	No. 5	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN+/ESPN+	L 10–42	53,686
November 22	12:00 p.m.	UT Martin	No. 6	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)	ESPN+	W 20–17	6,554
November 29	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 North Dakota*	No. 6	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	L 6–31	4,641
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

2025 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 0 Kekoa Visperas Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bobby Wilder Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Game summaries

vs. Cumberland (TN) (NAIA)

Game One – Cumberland Phoenix (NAIA) (0–0) at No. 21 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Phoenix (NAIA)	0	0	0	0	0
No. 21 Golden Eagles	21	24	7	13	65

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday August 30, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C)
• Referee: Gabriel Tomlin
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Sam Brooks (analyst)

Game information

First quarter (9:55) TNTC – Torin Baker 25-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Dom LeBlanc kick (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:45; Tennessee Tech 7–0) (2:31) TNTC – Quintell Quinn 4-yard run, Dom LeBlanc kick (Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 2:05; Tennessee Tech 14–0) (0:42) TNTC – Aidan Littles 11-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Dom LeBlanc kick (Drive: 1 play, 11 yards, 0:05; Tennessee Tech 21–0) Second quarter (12:52) TNTC – Q'Darryius Jennings 19-yard run, Dom LeBlanc kick (Drive: 2 plays, 24 yards, 0:43; Tennessee Tech 28–0) (4:06) TNTC – Tre' Holloway 3-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Dom LeBlanc kick (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:34; Tennessee Tech 35–0) (2:14) TNTC – Tre' Holloway 53-yard punt return, Dom LeBlanc kick (Tennessee Tech 42–0) (0:00) TNTC – Dom LeBlanc 43-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 0:51; Tennessee Tech 45–0) Third quarter (5:31) TNTC – Q'Darryius Jennings 25-yard run, Gavin Wilson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:25; Tennessee Tech 52–0) Fourth quarter (9:55) TNTC – Jace Wilson 4-yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 8:47; Tennessee Tech 58–0) (1:05) TNTC – Maurice Sims 78-yard run, Gavin Wilson kick (Drive: 3 plays, 85 yards, 1:03; Tennessee Tech 58–0)

Statistics	CUMB	TNTC
First downs	9	24
Total yards	104	570
Rushing yards	64	286
Passing yards	40	284
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	7–16–1	19–28–0
Time of possession	29:46	30:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cumberland (TN)	Passing	Zach Holtzclaw	6/15, 34 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jaylen Abston	10 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Kaiden Hatchett	4 receptions, 23 yards
Tennessee Tech	Passing	Kekoa Visperas	17/26, 250 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Maurice Sims	5 carries, 92 yards, TD
	Receiving	Noah Robinson	3 receptions, 58 yards

vs. Chattanooga

Game Two – Chattanooga Mocs (0–1) at No. 17 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mocs	3	0	7	7	17
No. 17 Golden Eagles	21	3	14	7	45

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Sam Brooks (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTC	TNTC
First downs	15	22
Total yards	274	513
Rushing yards	25	221
Passing yards	249	292
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–45–1	19–28–1
Time of possession	32:42	27:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing	Camden Orth	22/45, 249 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ryan Ingram	12 carries, 22 yards, TD
	Receiving	Markell Quick	5 receptions, 94 yards, TD
Tennessee Tech	Passing	Kekoa Visperas	18/27, 240 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Quintell Quinn	6 carries, 76 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tre' Holloway	4 receptions, 74 yards

vs. Davidson

Game Three – Davidson Wildcats (0–2) at No. 15 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	14	0	0	14
No. 15 Golden Eagles	28	17	21	6	72

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday September 13, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Sam Brooks (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	DAV	TNTC
First downs	12	33
Total yards	206	576
Rushing yards	74	308
Passing yards	132	268
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–27–1	25–37–0
Time of possession	28:22	31:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Davidson	Passing	Coulter Clealand	16/26, 132 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Mari Adams	11 carries, 58 yards
	Receiving	Ivan Hoyt	4 receptions, 53 yards, TD
Tennessee Tech	Passing	Kekoa Visperas	23/32, 246 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Quintell Quinn	9 carries, 122 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Maury Sullivan	7 receptions, 78 yards

at Tennessee State (Sgt. York Trophy)

Game Four – No. 13 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (3–0) at Tennessee State Tigers (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Golden Eagles	7	14	14	0	35
Tigers	0	0	3	5	8

at Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN

• Date: Saturday September 27, 2025
• Game time: 3:30 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan Lang (play-by-play) and Dean Cokinos (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	TNST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Western Illinois

Game Five – Western Illinois Leathernecks (1–4) at No. 11 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (4–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	7	10	3	0	20
No. 11 Golden Eagles	10	28	14	14	66

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday October 4, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WIU	TNTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Charleston Southern

Game Six – No. 10 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (5–0) at Charleston Southern Buccaneers (1–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Golden Eagles	7	13	7	0	27
Buccaneers	3	7	0	3	13

at Buccaneer Field • North Charleston, SC

• Date: Saturday October 11, 2025
• Game time: 3:00 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	CHSO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Charleston Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Lindenwood

Game Seven – No. 8 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (6–0) at Lindenwood Lions (3–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Golden Eagles	0	17	21	14	52
Lions	7	7	7	7	28

at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium • St. Charles, MO

• Date: Saturday October 18, 2025
• Game time: 1:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	LIN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Lindenwood	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Southeast Missouri State

Game Eight – Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (3–4) at No. 9 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (7–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redhawks	0	6	10	7	23
No. 9 Golden Eagles	7	14	0	21	42

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday October 25, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SEMO	TNTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeast Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Gardner–Webb

Game Nine – Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (5–3) at No. 9 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (8–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
No. 9 Golden Eagles	0	0	0	0	0

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday November 1, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	GWEB	TNTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Gardner–Webb	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Eastern Illinois

Game Ten – No. 5 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (9–0) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (3–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Golden Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0

at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL

• Date: Saturday November 8, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CST
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	EIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Kentucky (FBS)

Game Eleven – No. 5 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10–0) at Kentucky Wildcats (FBS) (4–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Golden Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats (FBS)	0	0	0	0	0

at Kroger Field • Lexington, KY

• Date: Saturday November 15, 2025
• Game time: 12:30 PM CST
• TV announcers (SECN+): Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	UK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. UT Martin (Sgt. York Trophy)

Game Twelve – UT Martin Skyhawks (6–5) at No. 6 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Skyhawks	7	3	0	7	17
No. 6 Golden Eagles	0	3	7	10	20

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

• Date: Saturday November 22, 2025
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTM	TNTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Martin	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
STATS FCS	21	17	15	12	13	11	10	8	9	9	5	5	6	6
Coaches	22т	20	16	12т	11	9	7	8	8	8	5	6	8	7