NASHVILLE — Tennessee State College soccer head coach Reggie Barlow introduced Friday the addition of veteran HBCU soccer coach Cedric Thornton to the Tigers’ employees. Thornton will function affiliate head coach and linebackers coach for the 2025 season.
Thornton brings greater than twenty years of teaching expertise to Tennessee State College, together with latest roles as defensive tackles coach and particular groups coordinator at Alabama A&M, and defensive coordinator at each Grambling State and Alcorn State. He helped construct a few of the most efficient HBCU defenses within the Southwestern Athletic Convention (SWAC).
Veteran Chief
Thornton spent two seasons at Grambling State below former TSU offensive coordinator and head coach Hue Jackson, mentoring standout defensive finish Sundiata Anderson, who earned quite a few SWAC and nationwide honors. He additionally coached freshman defensive lineman Keyshawn Johnson, a 2023 Stats Carry out FCS Freshman All-American.
Earlier than his time at Grambling, Thornton performed a pivotal position at Alcorn State, serving to lead the Braves to 2 SWAC championships and a pair of Celebration Bowl appearances. Promoted to assistant head coach in 2019, Thornton oversaw a protection that ranked among the many FCS leaders in a number of classes, together with interceptions (21), turnovers gained (36), fumbles recovered (15), and crimson zone protection (.689).
In 2018, Alcorn led the nation in sacks (4.0 per recreation) and tackles for loss (9.5 per recreation), whereas ending within the prime 10 nationally in speeding protection, whole protection, and crimson zone effectivity. He additionally developed a number of all-conference and All-America gamers, together with linebacker Solomon Muhammad and defensive again Qwynnterrio Cole.
Thornton beforehand served as defensive coordinator at Alabama State, the place his 2014 unit ranked among the many prime 15 nationally in scoring protection, passing protection, and whole takeaways. That season, the Hornets held seven opponents below 20 factors, together with a shutout of Savannah State — this system’s first official shutout since 1994.
His teaching profession additionally consists of stops at Texas Southern and in the highschool ranks in Montgomery, Ala., and Jacksonville, Fla.
As a participant, Thornton loved an eight-year NFL profession as a defensive lineman, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles (2011–15), adopted by stints with the Dallas Cowboys (2016) and Buffalo Payments (2017).
A local of Jackson, Mississippi, Thornton performed HBCU soccer at Alabama State from 1991 to 1995.
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