BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Eddie George was pondering the next steps in his burgeoning career as a college football coach while driving back from the NFL scouting combine.

He got a sign in the most unlikely of places.

George was driving through Bowling Green, Kentucky, on his way back to Nashville when he received a text from Urban Meyer asking if George would be interested in returning to Ohio and being the coach at Bowling Green.

After a couple weeks of discussions, George was formally introduced on Monday as the 21st head coach in school history.

“It feels like a whirlwind. Last week felt like a whole month in terms of the interviews and the process,” George said during his introductory press conference at the Stroh Center. “This is not going to be an easy process. We still have a lot of work to do to get across the finish line.”

George replaces Scot Loeffler, who left Bowling Green on Feb. 28 to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach. Loeffler had a 27-41 record in six seasons, including bowl appearances the past three seasons.

Meyer, who coached BG for two years before going on to Utah, Florida and Ohio State, was one of many former coaches and players that athletic director Derek van der Merwe had discussions with about candidates.

George returns to Ohio — where he won the 1995 Heisman Trophy at Ohio State — after being the head coach at Tennessee State for four years. He had a 24-22 record and took a program that had struggled to its first Football Championship Subdivision playoff spot since 2013 this past season.

The Tigers went 9-3 in 2024 and won a share of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference. George was named coach of the year and was a runner-up for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award.

Bowling Green was originally supposed to start spring practices on Wednesday, but that will be delayed a couple of weeks as George finalizes his coaching staff.

“I wouldn’t say it’s great timing. But when I took over at Tennessee State, it was in the spring, ironically. It took us some time to get there, but we got there,” George said. “I think now the goal is how do we get to September? It’s going to take diligence for us to be focused, operate with a great attitude and be intentional.”

George played nine seasons in the NFL, including eight with the Tennessee Titans. He was the 1996 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and an All-Pro selection in 2000. He finished with 10,441 yards rushing with 268 catches for 2,227 yards and had 78 total touchdowns. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

George also interviewed with the Chicago Bears for their head coach opening in January.

Besides coaching, George has been an actor who appeared on Broadway in New York, along with other business interests. He also has taught as an adjunct professor at his alma mater Ohio State and Vanderbilt University.

“After meeting with Eddie, it became very clear to me that Eddie checked every aspect of that profile that we created. He is someone who cares about people, values, personal growth and development, defines himself by his ability to adapt, adjust, and have success in every aspect of his life,” van der Merwe said.

George spent the 2004 season with the Dallas Cowboys before retiring in 2006. His wife Tamara “Taj” George is a member of the group Sisters with Voices (SWV) and they have two sons. Eriq George has been a starting defensive end the past two seasons for Tennessee State.

Bowling Green has been a successful springboard for past coaches. Besides Meyer, Dave Clawson and Dino Babers had successful tenures that propelled them to jobs at Wake Forest and Syracuse.

However, this could be a rebuilding year for the Falcons. All-America tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is a top prospect in the upcoming NFL draft while wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. and quarterback Connor Bazelak are graduating. Running back Terion Stewart transferred to Virginia Tech.

“We don’t stray away from what made this program successful. I’m not here to blow it up. I’m here to enhance it,” George said.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George was named the next head coach at Bowling Green on Sunday.

George agreed to a five-year deal, sources told ESPN.

His hiring came two days after George, who spent the past four seasons as the head coach at Tennessee State, was one of three finalists to interview for the position.

“Today, we add another transformative leader to this campus in Eddie George,” Derek van der Merwe, Bowling Green’s vice president for athletics strategy, said in a news release. “Our students are getting someone who has chased success in sports, art, business, and leadership. As our head football coach, he will pursue excellence in all aspects of competition in the arena. More importantly, beyond the arena, he will exemplify what excellence looks like in the classroom, in life, in business, and in relationships with people.”

George emerged as a successful head coach in the FCS at Tennessee State. This past season, he led the program to the FCS playoffs and a share of the OVC-Big South title, the school’s first league title in football since 1999.

“I am truly excited to be the head coach at Bowling Green State University,” George said in the news release. “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.”

George returns to the state where he rushed for 3,768 yards over four seasons as a running back for Ohio State, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1995.

George went on to star in the NFL for nine seasons, rushing for more than 10,000 yards. He was a 1996 first-round pick of the Houston Oilers and made his name by playing seven seasons in Nashville for the Titans, becoming the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. The Titans retired his jersey in 2019.

Tennessee State hired George despite his lack of traditional coaching experience, with the school president at the time calling the move “the right choice and investment” for the future of TSU. George has worked as an actor and entrepreneur and earned an MBA from Northwestern.

George paid back the administration’s faith by building Tennessee State into a winner, including a 9-4 season in 2024 that culminated in its first FCS playoff appearance since 2013. Tennessee State lost to Montana in the first round.

George’s hire at TSU continued the trend of former star players being hired at historically Black colleges and universities. Jackson State made the biggest splash in hiring Deion Sanders, who went on to a successful stint at Colorado. Michael Vick’s hire at Norfolk State and DeSean Jackson’s hire at Delaware State continued that trend in the current hiring cycle.

George will replace Scot Loeffler, who left the school to become the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bowling Green has become one of the top coaching springboards of this generation, with Urban Meyer, Dave Clawson and Dino Babers all advancing from the school to power conference jobs. Loeffler went 27-41 over six seasons, a run that included bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons.

Defensive end prospect Richard Wesley, one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2027 high school class, has reclassified into the 2026 cycle and will sign with a college program later this year, he told ESPN on Friday.

A 6-foot-5, 245-pound pass rusher from Chatsworth, California, Wesley completed his sophomore season at Sierra Canyon (California) High School this past fall. His move marks the latest high-profile reclassification in the current cycle, following wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (No. 21 in the ESPN Junior 300), tight end Mark Bowman (No. 23), running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 29) and cornerback Havon Finney Jr. (not ranked) in the line of the elite former 2027 prospects to reclassify into the 2026 class since the start of the new year. 

ESPN has not yet released its prospect rankings for the 2027 class, but Wesley is expected to slot in among the nation’s top five defensive line recruits in 2026. He took unofficial visits to Oregon and Texas A&M in January and holds a long list of offers across the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. 

Following his reclassification, Wesley told ESPN he will take trips to Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Miami, Oregon, USC, Ole Miss and Texas A&M across March and April before finalizing a slate of official visits for later this spring.

“I really can’t say what the future holds for me,” Wesley said. “I’m excited for more opportunities to go talk with these coaches and see what they’re about. I’m really open to everyone that’s offered me and who really wants me in their program.”

Wesley emerged as one of the nation’s most coveted high school defenders after he totaled 55 tackles and 10 sacks in his freshman season at Sierra Canyon in 2023. He followed this past fall 44 tackles (16 for loss) with nine sacks and four forced fumbles as a sophomore.

The rash of reclassifications into the 2026 class comes after a series of top prospects opted to reclassify during the 2025 recruiting cycle, headlined by five-star recruits Julian Lewis (Colorado) and Jahkeem Stewart (USC) and Texas A&M quarterback signee Brady Hart. Wesley told ESPN that his decision to enter college early was motivated by conversations with college coaches and his belief that he will be physically ready to compete at the next level by the time his junior season ends later this year. 

“All the colleges I talk to have shown me their recruiting boards and told me I’m at the top of their list at the position regardless of class,” Wesley said. “They’ve told me good things and they’ve told me the things I need to work on. I need to work on my violence. I’ve been grinding at that every single day.”

Wesley now joins a talented 2026 defensive end class that features 11 prospects ranked inside the top 100 in the ESPN Junior 300. 

Five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, ESPN’s No. 1 defender in the class, has been committed to Maryland since this past December and closed his recruitment last month. JaReylan McCoy, a five-star prospect who decommitted from LSU in February, and four-stars Jake Kreul (No. 19 overall) and Nolan Wilson (No. 54 overall) stand among the cycle’s top uncommitted defensive ends.