Eddie George returned to Ohio as the head coach at Bowling Green, a move he made with support from others with Ohio State ties.
BOWLING GREEN — Eddie George’s office overlooks Doyt Perry Stadium and has framed jerseys of former Bowling Green players hanging on the walls.
Outside of a poster filled with the signatures of former Heisman Trophy winners, there is little to indicate George’s place in college football’s most exclusive fraternity.
“I let others talk about what I’ve accomplished,” George said.
George, who won a Heisman Trophy as Ohio State’s tailback in 1995 before an All-Pro career in the NFL, arrived in northwest Ohio earlier this year to continue a burgeoning coaching career with the Falcons, who open their season against Lafayette on Aug. 28.
After four years at Tennessee State, he took over for Scot Loeffler, who left in late February to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach.
But George’s high profile was a draw to school administrators who saw a unique background suited to the evolving nature of the sport.
“Just being a football coach is not enough,” athletic director Derek van der Merwe said. “You have to be a leader. You have to be a CEO. You have to understand all the donor bases and the alumni, faculty and staff.”
Following his retirement from the NFL in 2006, George got an MBA from Northwestern, started an architecture firm and acted on Broadway. He once played Billy Flynn in "Chicago."
“It’s all prepared me for this role I’m in now as a head coach,” George said.
The 51-year-old George ended up in coaching in 2021, beginning with a call from Glenda Glover, then the president at Tennessee State.
George expected to discuss financial matters. His wealth management firm worked with Glover’s sorority. But she proposed another idea.
“She asked me to be the head coach,” George said, “and I was floored. I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I have no aspirations of coaching.’ But she was very persistent.”
George already enjoyed a high quality of life in Nashville, managing businesses and having freedom to travel. Few jobs bring time demands as intense as coaching.
But if he didn’t give in, George worried about missing out an opportunity.
“It was that question of when I get old and gray and look back on my life, would I regret not taking this opportunity?” George said. “That answer was yes. I was like, ‘OK, maybe I’ll see what happens.’ ”
George, who was then latest in the line of former NFL players taking over football programs at historically Black colleges and universities, a trend that began with Deion Sanders at Jackson State in 2020, said the move to the sidelines felt natural.
“Just being in the locker room,” he said, “talking to the guys, being in a position of leadership, it felt right.”
George’s turnaround at Tennessee State was not immediate. The Tigers were 15-18 in his first three seasons. But they broke through last fall, reaching the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2013. They finished 9-4.
It got the attention of Urban Meyer, the former Ohio State coach who led Bowling Green in 2001 and 2002.
Meyer first met George at the 2006 BCS national championship game. He was leading Florida, which was facing Ohio State, and George was in attendance to support his alma mater, but he knew the former running back as much by reputation.
“He had a reputation for being the hardest working guy on the field in college and in the pros,” Meyer said.
Meyer recommended him to van der Merwe, stressing George’s ties to the state could also make for a strong combination.
“If he’s going to grind away and work at it," Meyer said, “this is an absolute no-question.”
Since van der Merwe began leading Bowling Green’s athletic department three years ago, he has leaned on former coaches in his searches across the department. Meyer was no exception, making George an instant candidate just weeks before the Falcons were to begin spring practice.
“Urban put him on the radar,” van der Merwe said.
The support from Meyer, as well as former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, who encouraged him to move up within the NCAA’s Division I subdivisions, emboldened George.
George grew up in Philadelphia, but between his four years with the Buckeyes and other ventures in Columbus following his playing career, the move felt like a homecoming.
When he meets with recruits, along with their families, and donors, he feels an immediate connection.
“There’s not a ton I have to do in letting people know my background,” George said. “They kind of know what it is. They understand who I am as a man, what I’ve been through, who I am now, not just the celebrity.”
The bigger mystery in Ohio might be the flavor of George’s teams.
George’s vision is for them to be at their best in the trenches, overtaking opponents in the A-gaps, the space between the center and guards.
“That’s just how I see teams being built,” George said. “If you can control the middle in some regard, it sets up everything else.”
It helped Tennessee State to air it out last year. Quarterback Draylen Ellis was one of 11 FBS passers to throw for at least 3,000 yards in 2024.
Bowling Green has experience behind center as well, having added former Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne as a transfer in April.
Pyne has made 11 career starts, most of them at Notre Dame in 2022, when he threw for 2,021 yards and 22 touchdowns.
George took note of Pyne’s record as a starter: 9-2, including 4-1 against ranked teams.
“He’s not going to wide-eyed playing against top-notch opponents,” George said.
The Falcons, who finished 7-6 overall last season, including 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference, have a stretch in September in which they face two power conference teams in a span of three weeks in Cincinnati and Louisville. They also host Liberty, which is the favorite to win Conference USA.
The transfer pickups also included George’s son. Eriq George, a junior defensive end who finished with 57 tackles and 5.5 sacks at Tennessee State last season, was one of five of the Tigers players who followed along.
In four years of coaching, George has found himself relishing the process, building a program and developing players.
“I just enjoy watching these kids, getting it and grow and click and catch on like wildfire,” George said, “creating that momentum and seeing it take a life of its own, seeing guys thrive and the benefits of being a disciplined football team.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at [email protected] and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football legend Eddie George now coaching at Bowling Green
Category: General Sports
