Aidan Littles

• Article
• April 12, 2025

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – To figure out where the Tennessee Tech football team is in April as the team held its annual Purple vs. Gold Spring Game, one just has to go back to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoff selection show. As the team saw the rest of the field announced, including three Big South-Ohio Valley Conference football teams, it stuck in the craw. The Golden Eagles, who defeated playoff picks UT Martin and Tennessee State to win the Sergeant York Trophy, were left out. It became a mission. “Our theme this year coming out of missing the playoffs by one game is ‘Run It Back,’” Wilder said. “You’ll see it out here on shirts and that’s our theme because of the bitter taste we had. Keeping this team together will add more value to the roster in April and May through the portal. I’m really excited about our high school recruiting here in-state and put us in good position heading into camp.”

• Article
• February 01, 2025

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Daniel Rickert and Tim Coutras put up a lot of highlight reel plays over the course of the 2024 campaign. It’s only fitting that the defensive duo also picked up two of Tennessee Tech’s top football honors as Rickert was named the winner of the Robert Hill Johnson Award and Coutras the Tony Stone Bumble Bee DB Award. Among the team’s other year-end awards, D.J. Linkins was named the winner of the Bill Dupes Inspiration Award, Jordan Yates the winner of the Sonny Allen Leadership Award, Aidan Littles the winner of the Josh Poplar Tech Pride Award, Donnell Wilson the winner of the Frank Omiyale Block Award, Wyatt Watson the winner of the Unsung Hero Award and Hunter Barnhart the Academic Award.

• Article
• November 21, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Saturday could be a huge day for the Tennessee Tech football team. Depending on what happens Saturday at Tucker Stadium when the Golden Eagles host Eastern Illinois, as well as in Nashville and Martin, it could be championship worthy. It all starts in Cookeville though as the 6-5 Golden Eagles host the 3-8 Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:02 p.m. Roger Ealey and Marcelo Metzelar will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will narrate the action on ESPN+ (subscription required).

• Article
• November 07, 2024

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech football team will get a one-week reprieve from the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference jaunt this weekend as the Golden Eagles head down to Birmingham to take on Samford in a Saturday battle. Kickoff against the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call locally on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).

• Article
• November 02, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was almost a record day for the Tennessee Tech football team as the Golden Eagles rushed for 400 yards on Saturday to take a 52-10 victory over Lindenwood on Homecoming. Tech rushed 38 times for 400 yards, led by 128 yards on 13 carries from Jalen Mitchell. In all, the Golden Eagles ran for five touchdowns while averaging 10.5 yards per carry. Aidan Littles, Torin Baker, Jordan Yates and Tyler Wilson also ran for scores, while quarterback Dylan Laible also threw a touchdown strike to D.J. Linkins among his 13 pass completions of 119 yards.

• Article
• October 18, 2024

MACOMB, Ill. – After a tough outing last week at Cape Girardeau, the Tennessee Tech football team will hit the ground running once more this week as they head to Macomb, Ill., to take on Western Illinois. Kickoff for the game Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call locally on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required). It's the third time overall the two teams have met, but just the first time in conference play as the Leathernecks joined the conference last season but this is their first season in football.

• Article
• October 10, 2024

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – It’s still early in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference slate, but Saturday will be a battle for sole possession of first place in the league as Tennessee Tech heads to Southeast Missouri for an important battle in league play. Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required) while Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call locally on 106.1 The Eagle.

• Article
• October 05, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – South Carolina State jumped out to an early lead, but it wasn’t insurmountable. The Tennessee Tech team had opportunities and reclaimed the lead with some timely takeaways and had a chance to win the game on a last-second field goal. However, the kick sailed wide left as time expired, leading the visiting Bulldogs to a 22-20 win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday in their non-conference affair. Where Tech had relied on the running game in the last two games, both teams presented an aerial attack, combining for a whopping 708 yards through the air and just 114 yards on the ground. South Carolina State (3-2) was expected to come in with a strong quarterback in Eric Phoenix and he lived up to the hype, throwing for 412 yards and three touchdowns.

• Article
• October 03, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech Football team is red-hot in Big South-Ohio Valley Conference, standing alone at the top of the standings with a 2-0 mark, its first in league play since the 2011 campaign. Tech (2-2 overall) will try to keep the momentum building this weekend as the Golden Eagles step back into non-conference action as they welcome South Carolina State to Tucker Stadium for the first time on Saturday afternoon as they try to send their third Bulldog opponent in their first five games back to the doghouse. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Roger Ealey and Marcelo Metzelar will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.

• Article
• September 30, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech defensive lineman Theron Gaines shut down the Gardner-Webb offense on Saturday, creating big stop after big stop and pushing the Runnin’ Bulldogs back deep in their own territory. Conference and national voters saw the effort too as Gaines was selected as both the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week.

• Article
• September 28, 2024

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – For the first time since 2011, the Tennessee Tech football team is starting conference play with a 2-0 record, but it was an adventure to get there. Seeing the effects of Hurricane-turned-Tropical Storm Helene first-hand as they made their way to Charlotte, then to Boiling Springs, the Golden Eagles overcame those adversities to take a 52-21 victory over the defending Big South-Ohio Valley Conference champ in a statement victory.

• Article
• September 07, 2024

ATHENS, Ga. – Facing the top-ranked team in all of college football is a daunting task to say the least. And while the 48-3 result against No. 1 Georgia still puts another notch in the loss column, the Tennessee Tech football team accomplished its goal against the Bulldogs with a respectable effort. Injuries were kept to a minimum, the Golden Eagles (0-2) kept the game respectable in the first half, Tech scored its first-ever points against the Bulldogs (2-0) in the third meeting and the team is coming back with a decent payday to help improve the program’s future.

• Article
• August 18, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As a team works toward a new season, it’s not uncommon to see some bumps and bruises along the way. With the Tennessee Tech football team entering Saturday’s Gathering of Eagles scrimmage, the numbers are a little more than expected with nearly 30 players sidelined from Saturday’s session.  “It’s hard to conduct what you’re trying to get done in practice and scrimmage and it’s not anything the kids are doing,” head coach Bobby Wilder said. “A lot of what’s happening are soft tissue injuries. They’re working hard and they’re trying to get back. With the opener two weeks away, it’s a true concern. Tonight, we had 15 true freshmen out here playing a lot of snaps. They played hard, but they’re freshmen. They’re going to make mistakes. I love the effort. The number one priority right now is we’ve got to get healthy.