HOUSTON – The Texas Southern Tigers are looking to Cris Dishman to pull the program out of a malaise that’s stretched back a decade. Dishman took over for Clarence McKinney, who had a 12-35 record with the Tigers. One focus Dishman is working on early in camp is to raise they team’s football IQ.
“We’re going to have a balanced team and a smart team,” said Dishman. “Know what to do, know your down and distance, that’s what we’re trying to teach them - football IQ.”
Dishman says there are no starters at this early point in camp, and 110 players are fighting for every position. On offense, while the QB race is officially unsettled, the Tigers do return the reigning SWAC Newcomer of the Year in junior quarterback Jace Wilson. Wilson finished his high school football career at Mayde Creek in Katy, and played at Furman before transferring to Texas Southern. Wilson threw for 1,633 yards in 2023 with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He agrees that Dishman’s effort on making the team smarter on the field has been a positive.
“That’s all little stuff that maybe last year if we would have had taken a little more attention to detail, we could have finished games off the right way,” said Wilson. “Practicing those (things) early in fall camp right now is going to be a big help for us last year.”
Senior defensive back Javius Williams has been excited to pick up on field knowledge from Dishman, who played 13 seasons in the NFL.
“It’s wonderful, he’s giving us good techniques and I feel like he’s going to make our secondary better than last year,” said Williams.
The Tigers open their season on August 31 against rival Prairie View in the Labor Day Classic. The Panthers have won nine straight games in the series.