Obie Sanni

• 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
• 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 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 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 26, 2024

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Tennessee Tech Football team is at the top of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference standings with Southeast Missouri after a big win this past Saturday over Tennessee State and the Golden Eagles don't want it to be a short stay. It'll be a big test, however, as Tech heads into Boiling Springs to take on Gardner-Webb, who made its second-straight appearance to the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and tied with UT Martin for the Big South-OVC championship last season.

• Article
• September 21, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When it mattered the most, the Tennessee Tech defense came through. The Golden Eagles found ways to pressure Tennessee State quarterback Draylen Ellis, sacking him seven times and hurried him out of the pocket seven times. Tech’s defense also held State to exactly zero rushing yards on 27 carries. Defensive back Ty Moss then sealed the deal with a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the contest to lead the Golden Eagles to a 24-14 victory over their in-state rivals and claim the first salvo in the hunt for the Sergeant York Trophy. Tech improves to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association, putting the first victory in head coach Bobby Wilder’s column in his Cookeville career. It’s also the first back-to-back wins over the Tigers since winning three straight between 2015 and 2017.

• Article
• September 01, 2024

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – On Saturday night just before midnight, Tennessee Tech took the lead against Middle Tennessee. But after the clock struck 12, Middle Tennessee ended the Golden Eagles’ Cinderella story. Tech (0-1) was so close. With just over a minute to go in the game, Jordan Yates hauled in a diving connection from Jordyn Potts to tie the game, then Hayden Olsen hit the PAT to give the Golden Eagles the 25-24 lead.

• Article
• August 29, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – On the very day, almost to the very minute, when Tennessee Tech introduced Bobby Wilder as the new head coach of the Golden Eagle football team, Middle Tennessee was introducing Derek Mason as the new head coach of the Blue Raiders. It was purely coincidence, but it almost seemed fitting that the two coaches open their first seasons at the helm on the opposite sidelines.

• Article
• August 26, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s probably a little cliché when a new coach comes into a program and it’s suddenly declared a ‘new era.’ With the direction Bobby Wilder looks to take the Tennessee Tech football team, however, it is the literal truth. With the ever-changing landscape of college football, as well as the transfer portal and Name-Image-Likeness deals, the game is not the same as it was even 10 years ago.

• Article
• August 02, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After being selected to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America third-team roster on Wednesday, defensive back Tim Coutras was selected to another preseason All-America team on Friday as he was named to PhilSteele.com's preseason squad on the fourth-team defensive roster. In addition to the All-America nod, the Golden Eagles also collected nine players on the PhilSteele.com Preseason Big South-OVC team including tight end Hunter Barnhart (first team), defensive lineman Daniel Rickert (first team), defensive lineman Hudson Tucker (first team), linebacker Aaron Swafford (first team), Coutras (first team), running back Obie Sanni (third team), wide receiver Tremel Jones (third team), offensive lineman Logan Weedman (third team) and offensive lineman Nate Hodnett (third team).

• Article
• July 17, 2024

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As Tennessee Tech head football coach Bobby Wilder addressed the gathered media on Wednesday’s Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association Media Day, the veteran coach entering his first season with the Golden Eagles was excited for the new opportunity ahead of him. “I’ve been living here for eight months now and I’m absolutely living the dream in Cookeville,” he said. “We’re working toward building a successful football team. The goal right now is getting everyone in the organization focused on the process of winning. That’s in every day – our planning, our preparation and our execution.

• Article
• July 15, 2024

COOKEVILLE – To kick off the first of three days in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Media Days, the combined conference announced its first set of Preseason Players to Watch. In the first set of players announced among the offensive skill positions and kickers, the Tennessee Tech Football team claimed seven selections on the preseason list. Included among the list are quarterback Dylan Laible, running back Obie Sanni, wide receiver Tremel Jones, tight end Hunter Barnhart, offensive lineman Logan Weedman, all-purpose pick Kyron Cumby and kicker Hayden Olsen. Four of the seven selections on Monday will make their first appearances in the Purple and Gold this season with the season kicking off August 31 at Middle Tennessee.