By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – With the football season just around the corner, the Ohio Valley Conference football coaches and media converged on the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs to talk a little gridiron action on Tuesday as the league held its first in-person media day since 2019.
Tennessee Tech picked up three players on the Preseason All-OVC team as running back David Gist, wide receiver Quinton Cross and defensive back Josh Reliford were on the preseason roster. Transfer quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall was named the Golden Eagles' Newcomer to Watch.
The preseason projections were also announced as Tech was selected fifth in the poll, as voted on by the league's coaches and sports information contacts. UT Martin, with 10 first-place votes, was selected first, while Southeast Missouri and Murray State – in its final football season in the OVC – were picked in the top three.
The Cookeville native Gist rushed for 901 yards in the Fall 2021 campaign, averaging 81.9 yards per game while also rushing for eight touchdowns. He also hauled in a touchdown and 220 yards on 37 catches. Gist led the team in scoring with 54 points, led Tech in all-purpose yards with 1,139 and was second on the squad in total offense.
Cross had a breakout season in 2021, collecting a team-high 574 yards on 41 catches with three touchdowns, averaging 52.2 yards per game.
Reliford, Tech's 2021 Robert Hill Johnson Award winner, led the team in tackles with 69 stops – 38 solo and 31 assisted with 4.0 for-loss, while also breaking up six passes and recording a quarterback hurry.
The 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Oatsvall put up huge numbers for the Governors. As a freshman, he threw for 1,148 yards and six touchdowns, then rushed for 453 yards and six touchdowns. In 2018, he improved, throwing for 1,631 yards and 20 touchdowns, then rushing for 517 yards and six touchdowns, setting the Austin Peay single-season record for touchdowns responsible for. He became the first APSU quarterback to throw for four or more touchdowns in three games in a single season. He transferred to Memphis for his redshirt senior season and transferred to Tech for his extra year of eligibility.
The Golden Eagles open camp in August as they prepare for the season opener at Kansas on Friday, September 2.
Season tickets are now on sale – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
