Bio

There is only one player in Tennessee Tech history with more tackles than Jeff Daughtry and that player is a College Football Hall of Famer in Jim Youngblood.

Youngblood, a two-time all-American, finished his Golden Eagle with 476 tackles. Daughtry stands just three tackles back at 473.

A linebacker from 1980-84 during the Gary Darnell era, Daughtry was a dominant forced on the field, consistently putting together double-digit tackle games together, even entering his final campaign with at least 10 tackles in 22 of 23 games.

He has two 20-plus tackle games, recording a career-high 21 against UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky, both during the 1982 campaign. Both performances rank in the top-five in program history.

Daughtry’s 1982 campaign also saw him record 153 total tackles (93 solo and 60 assisted), which stands as the second-best season in Golden Eagle history, behind Youngblood’s 156 in 1972. Daughtry also has the fourth best in program history, tied with Youngblood with 142 tackles in 1983.

He led the Golden Eagles in tackles in three consecutive seasons and earned an Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week nod on Sept. 27, 1982, recording 15 tackles (nine solo, six assisted) and an interception en route to a 10-3 win over Murray State.

Daughtry was also the recipient of Tech football’s highest honor, the Robert Hill Johnson Award, as the 1985 selection. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Tech in health and physical education.