Eddie George says the path from FCS to FBS is packed with red tape and politics, but he also believes Black coaches face even harsher judgment once they get their shot. The former Tennessee State coach, now in his second season with Bowling Green, points to a
Eddie George didn’t wait for a second opportunity to speak his mind. In a season that begins with fresh questions at Bowling Green, the former Tennessee State coach is already looking backward at what it takes to climb from the FCS to the FBS — and what happens to those who try.
In 2025, George made history as the fourth former HBCU coach to immediately get an opportunity to coach an FBS program. He left Tennessee State after 4 seasons as head coach and took over at Bowling Green University. The move placed him alongside Deion Sanders, Willie Jeffries, and former Alcorn State head coach J. Hopson as the only HBCU coaches to make that jump.
George’s message is blunt about why the ladder doesn’t move for everyone. In a recent USA Today piece by Brent Schrotenboer. he described the climb from FCS to FBS as a grind of “red tape” and “politics.” He said some coaches can stay in the same position for 20 or 30 years without getting elevated. and that stagnation is frustrating. For him. there’s a simple logic: either keep pushing and let the resume do the talking — or find the other route toward a higher level.
Coming from an HBCU, George believes that experience prepares coaches for the hardest parts of stepping into an FBS job. He said he’s “well equipped to take on any problem,” but he also stressed the reality of resources: “Because it’s 10 times harder because of the lack of resources.”
The comfort factor, though, is where his comments sharpen. George said he notices fewer things being racialized and more decisions being driven by “who someone is comfortable with.” He described how that dynamic played out through his work with athletic directors. His first athletic director at Tennessee State was Black. The next athletic director he worked for was South African Derek van der Merwe at Bowling Green. and George said van der Merwe is White. George credited the hire to that relationship-building: van der Merwe. he said. looked beyond the resume. got to know George as a person. and then made the decision to hire him at Bowling Green State.
Still, George didn’t soften the reality for Black coaches once the opportunity arrives. He argued that African-American coaches aren’t given the same freedom to absorb mistakes. “African-American coaches aren’t afforded (second chances). ” he said. adding that the pressure becomes “I’ve got to be damn near perfect to get another opportunity. if this one doesn’t go well.” He also described what that means over time: “It’s a longer runway for some coaches than for others.”.
Those words land with weight because they come alongside the record George has already lived through at Bowling Green. In his first season with the program, Bowling Green went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference. Now. looking to retool in his second year. George is aiming for a turnaround path he knows well — one he built at Tennessee State.
At Tennessee State. George saw the kind of early struggles followed by a surge that can change how quickly people judge you. His team went 5-6 in his first season and 4-7 in his second season before posting a 6-5 record in 2023. Then came 2024: Tennessee State finished 9-4, won a share of the OVC-Big South Championship, and made the NCAA FCS playoffs.
The through-line between these two stops is hard to ignore. George’s story shows what a coach can do when patience eventually meets performance — and what makes that patience feel harder to secure for some than others, even when credentials are undeniable.
Eddie George Tennessee State Bowling Green HBCU coaches FCS to FBS Deion Sanders Willie Jeffries J. Hopson Derek van der Merwe second chances coaching ranks