Jonathan Palmer, the nephew of former NFL QBs Carson and Jordan Palmer, is fighting to become a starter at Tennessee State.
Not only did Tennessee State football begin practice July 30 with a new coach, the Tigers hit the field for the first time in eight years without a quarterback who has ever taken a meaningful snap in a TSU uniform.
That makes identifying a starting quarterback a chief priority for first-year coach Reggie Barlow and his staff as the Tigers prepare for their season opener on Aug. 30 at home against North Carolina A&T.
The staff brought in three transfers — Jonathan Palmer from Gardner-Webb, Caleb McCreary from Troy and Jack Brandon from Boston College — to compete with redshirt sophomore Ryder Hagan from John Overton and freshman Joshua Reese from Cane Ridge for the starting job.
"We want to really hone in on the fundamentals and let that process take place over the next few practices," Barlow said. "I'm excited for these guys that they get to learn the system, show us how they lead and see who comes out on top."
Hagan ran the ball a couple of times as a freshman in 2023 against Lincoln and took some snaps in the final seconds against Lindenwood, but did not see any action last year.
Brandon was not able to practice on July 30 due to an injury, so the battle could come down to Palmer and McCreary.
Palmer is a junior who played at Page, where he threw for 1,945 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. He did see action at Gardner-Webb.
Palmer is the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Jordan Palmer. With that type of lineage it wasn't surprising that Palmer chose to transfer to TSU where Barlow, a former NFL receiver, assembled a staff with lots of professional experience.
"When I went into the transfer portal coach Barlow was one of the first to call," Palmer said. "I visited, loved the team, loved the culture and we've got a lot of ex-NFL coaches and (United Football League) coaches and I wanted to be developed by guys like that."
Palmer does not believe the fact that one of his uncles (Carson) was a Heisman Trophy winner and the other (Jordan) spent time with the Tennessee Titans makes him different from any other player.
"Most kids would say they want to get coached by the highest level coaches they can," Palmer said. "I was blessed to grow up around a lot of elite quarterback coaching, just football in general. That definitely had a major impact on what type of player I am today."
McCreary is a sophomore from Wetumpka, Alabama, who led Montgomery Catholic to the Class 4A state championship in 2023 and passed for 9,549 yards and 125 touchdowns in his high school career.
"I feel this quarterback battle is very open with all new guys except for Ryder," McCreary said. "I'm ready to compete. I want to win. That's the first thing I bring. Then I just try to be a playmaker for my team; whatever I can do with my legs, my arm."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSU football: Carson, Jordan Palmer's nephew, Jonathan, competing at QB
Category: General Sports
