The Savannah State Tigers enter a new season with great expectations
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State Tigers team ended their training for the fall at the T.A. Wright Stadium. The team is in its prime, heading full of energy for its first football season after the pandemic. The Tigers plan to play hard, and although they have a long way to go, they hope to play their best and win.
Shawn Quinn has coached the Savannah State Tigers since 2019, and he is the 16th coach at State University. Since he joined the team, Quinn has brought players together and engaged new talent. The coach made the Tigers break their slump for his first season by reaching a 7-3 mark; the team hadn’t been this good since 1998.
Quinn’s story with the Tigers did not end in the 2019-20 season because, in the NCAA and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competition, the coach made the team reach a perfect 5-0 record. The Tigers beat the two strongest teams in the SIAC, Fort Valley State and Albany State.
From December 2018 to March 2019, Coach Quinn was an interim head football coach at Savannah State. In 2018 he was hired by the Tigers as a linebackers coach and offensive coordinator. Quinn has recruited and trained different NFL players such as Tyson Jackson (Atlanta), Jeremy Lane (Seattle), Edwin Jackson (Indianapolis), and even Jason Whitten (Dallas).
Since Quinn entered the coaching program for Savannah State, there have been some difficult losses including to Miami 77-0 and University of Alabama Birmingham 52-0. Quinn and the team have all the experience of playing together for three seasons. Now those 2019 freshmen are all seasoned with experience in the game.
D’Vonn Gibbons is the Savannah senior quarterback. In the 2019 season, Gibbons had 130 carries for 679 yards and 10 touchdowns in the 10 games he participated with the team. JT Hartage, Jadon Adams, who is playing for the Tigers for the first time, and Mason Wood join the offensive side of the ball. Quinn believes the guys with Gibbons can learn enough to put up an excellent game.
The Tigers also have their star player D’Angelo Durham, who made his preseason debut in the SIAC. Durham was also voted HBCU Top Athlete from “The Undefeated” on ESPN.
The team has a good line of players to represent the Savannah State best, however, the Tigers were defeated 53-7 against Valdosta State University. The team will have its second game on Sept. 11 against Livingstone College. The game will be a home game for the Tigers, which will hopefully help the team get back in the win column.
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