By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With just over two months before the scheduled start of the 2020 college football season, preseason polls and teams are starting to roll out.
With HERO Sports' selections on Tuesday night, the Tennessee Tech football team earned a pair of preseason all-Ohio Valley Conference picks as senior defensive lineman Chris Tucker and sophomore return specialist Metrius Fleming were on the website's roster.
Neither selection is a surprise as Tucker ended the season on the league's 2019 postseason first-team roll, while Fleming was a second-team and all-newcomer pick in the conference and a first-team pick on the Phil Steele All-OVC squad.
Tucker recorded 56 tackles in 2019, including 13.5 for-loss with 5.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and three fumble recoveries. The senior from Jackson also recorded a career-high eight tackles in back-to-back games last season, collecting that tally against UT Martin and Austin Peay.
Fleming averaged 26.5 yards per kick return and had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Virginia-Wise. He finished his freshman campaign with 1,200 all-purpose yards, just shy of 10th place in the single-season record book in the statistic with Craig Rolle with 1,353 in 1976 standing in that spot.
The OVC will announce its preseason polls and teams next month as part of its Virtual Football Media Day in July.
