Swift Golden Eagles shine on the opening day of spring practice.
The Tennessee Tech football team kicked off their 2025 spring practices with a strong start on Tuesday at Tucker Stadium. With sights set on another Ohio Valley Conference championship, the Golden Eagles began building momentum right from day one.
“We haven’t been out here since November 21,” said Tech head coach Bobby Wilder. “It’s like Christmas when you’re back out here. When you’re a kid, you see the tree and all the presents.”
The transformation from last year to this year was striking, as the team stepped onto the field in much better shape than in 2024.
“Last year, we had 65 players and just seven healthy offensive linemen,” Wilder noted. “Today, we had 100 players and 14 healthy offensive linemen. We got a lot of work in, and we’re really excited about day one.”
The Golden Eagles also welcomed a number of new faces this year, both on the field and in the coaching staff. Though many names were unfamiliar, the team is quickly adapting and building toward another promising season, with Tech already earning a spot in Stats Perform’s “Never-Too-Early” Top 25 poll at No. 19.
“You’re right about that,” Wilder said. “At the FCS level, turnover is common, but that’s just how it goes. Spring practice last year gave a lot of guys opportunities. We brought in 14 players from the portal and returned 86. One of the best things we’ve done is starting the Golden Eagle Collective — almost all of our All-Conference players are back, and we’ve been able to keep nearly all of our top talent.”
With many key players returning, the team is set up for something that could make a big difference in today’s transfer portal era: continuity.
“That’s a great point,” Wilder said. “One thing I really like is our depth. We’ve got competition at every position, whether it’s quarterback or offensive line. That level of competition across the board just makes us better. Last season, we went undefeated in November. You want to build momentum heading into championship and playoff time. Depth and competition are going to help us.”
As the Golden Eagles ran through drills and different scenarios, there were plenty of things that impressed Wilder, but the most noticeable was clear.
“Speed,” Wilder said. “We’re in the spider pads, and we were just playing so fast today. It was really great to see.”
The Golden Eagles will continue their spring practice sessions Thursday at Tucker Stadium.
