JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – "It's a great day to be a Tiger!"
Since taking over the Edward Waters College football program in 2013, head coach Alvin Wyatt starts all of his speeches with that phrase. Wyatt continued the tradition at the Tigers annual media day on Wednesday, but entering his 18th year as a head coach, you get the feeling that he means it.
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"Another year, another tear. Want to holler, mama dear!," Wyatt joked with reporters. "But I tell you what, I am excited about the season. We are going to a tough conference. We know this, we haven't had the opportunity to go against some of the teams there that we are playing on our schedule, but we are familiary with the ones we played last season."
Last season Wyatt led the Tigers to a 3-6 record, but won three of the last four games, building momentum into 2017. They will need it as Edward Waters joins the Mid-South Conference for football in the NAIA division. The Mid-South is the largest football conference in the country with 20 members. The Tigers will play in the Sun division along with Ave Maria, Faulkner, Southeasters, Warner, and Webber International. To have immediate success in the conference, the leaders on the team know that they have to get on the same page very quickly.
"It all starts at practice," said defensive captain Joey Williams. The former Raines Viking led the Tigers defense in tackles, sacks, and interceptions last season. "What you do in practice carries over to the games. So, we all have to get on one accord and do what we have to do."
Senior quarterback Tyler Mahla is on the same page.
"I don't think there is anything to do differently. We just have to come in with a different mindset, getting everybody on board on one accord. We all have to buy in. That's the biggest thing, making sure everyone is on one page."
Mahla saw action as the starting quarterback as a freshman, but injuries have slowed him down each of the last two seasons. Head coach Alvin Wyatt says that the offense is at its best when his senior signal caller is under center.
"We have Tyler. You better have one of them if you want to be successful. That is our trigger man, that's our go to guy. He has done a great job for us in the times he was not injured. I feel good about what he can bring to the table offensively. He's got an offensive line that has been here for a while, so things are in place for him."
Edward Waters opens their 2017 season at Bethel on August 26th. The Tigers home opener is against Cumberland on September 16th at 4:30 PM at Andrew Jackson high school.