Texas Southern Football 2025 Offensive Preview

The Tigers are 0-23 against FBS teams, but... you never know...

Do you remember back when you were at Cal taking an entry-level graduate math class and feeling completely lost in class, so you go home and try to google things from the lecture, but you find absolutely nothing online because your professor literally wrote the goddamn book on stochastic mechanics? Yeah, me neither, can’t relate. But that’s exactly what it was like trying to research Texas Southern for this article.

When I’m watching games, I like to put up the team rosters on one side, the game in the middle, and the play-by-play for the game I’m watching on the other. I’m watching my first Texas Southern game (against Prairie View A&M, the “Labor Day Classic”), and I immediately notice a problem. My play-by-play is obviously from the wrong year. The down and distance are off, and different plays are happening than what I’m watching on screen (a pre-emptive apology for whoever I am inadvertently about to put on blast right now).

It turns out—no, I am watching the right game, the stats recording is just a complete mess. The quarterback just rushed for a touchdown, but the running back received credit instead. If I try to get some insight about players to watch ahead of time by looking at the official stats, I can see that TSU’s two leading kickoff return men are “Lewis, Chaunzavia” and “Lewis, Chaunzav” (2024 > Individual > Special Teams > Returns). In fact, here’s a screenshot, in case anyone gets the idea to fix this after I reported on it:

That Chaunzav Lewis fellow is giving Chaunzavia Lewis a real run for his money here.

This is why you can’t trust box scores, nor extrapolate wildly from some stats you read on ESPN.com. No… a very wise brainworm piloting a human once said, “you have to do your own research.” And now that brainworm was appointed Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a very prestigious job for that little cestoda, so obviously the worm knows what it was talking about. That’s why we do our own research here at WFC.

Sorry, I digress. The Texas Southern University (TSU) Tigers are led by former NFL All-Pro cornerback Cris Dishman, who led the Tigers to a 5-6 record in his first season as a head coach.

Texas Southern had a lot of games that could have easily gone the other way. Just last week, they lost on the last play of the game against Prairie View A&M, when they had multiple busted coverages in a row (mainly, confusion in the defense when switching assignments) which led to that game-winning touchdown by Prairie View. They lost to Lamar last year shortly after jumping offsides on a 4th down nullified an interception that would have sealed the win. They lost to Southern in overtime after giving up a game-tying touchdown on a jump ball in one-on-one coverage in the final seconds of regulation, followed by dropping a could-be TD in OT on a busted coverage, and then missing a 41 yard FG in OT. This is a team that was just a few plays away from a vastly different record. Sounds familiar, right?

Credit to Texas Southern fans for maintaining their sunny disposition despite the score.

Texas Southern is known for their marching band, known as the Ocean of Soul, with a storied history you can read about here. To briefly summarize:

A turning point came in 1969 with the arrival of director Benjamin J. Butler II, who redefined the band’s style and inspired its new name, “Ocean of Soul,” giving it national recognition. By 1973, the band debuted first-class uniforms that set it apart, and over time it grew into the university’s largest student organization, now boasting more than 300 members. Known for its powerful sound, high-energy performances, and auxiliary squads like “Motion of the Ocean,” baton twirlers, and color guard, the Ocean of Soul has become a central symbol of TSU pride, performing at games, parades, and community events while captivating audiences with its spirit and precision.

The Ocean of Soul.

So if you’re at the game, make sure you catch the halftime show.

Depth Chart

Good luck finding a depth chart online (although if you do, please please please let me know in the comments). Instead, I made my own from observation, cribbing the style of my favorite depth chart website:

Texas Southern Offense Depth Chart

I have no idea who the backup offensive linemen are (there are a lot of backups, but who is 2nd vs 3rd string?) since none of them have played yet. I’m also just guessing at the 3rd string receivers. The short guy probably goes in the slot, right?

Let’s take a more detailed look by position.

Quarterback

The Tigers are led by junior quarterback KJ Cooper, who returns to action after suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the 2024 season. As a JuCo transfer, Cooper beat out the returning starter (Jace Wilson) for the QB job in 2024, and had to reestablish himself over a crowded QB room again this year (this time over one that included Kennesaw State transfer Khalib Johnson and Independence CC transfer Cameron McCallister).

Cooper was a big factor in helping Texas Southern snap their 9-game losing streak to their rivals last year, Prairie View A&M University (their effort this year fell just short, losing 22-21 on walk-off touchdown as time expired).

Cooper is a dual-threat quarterback with a decently strong arm:

QB KJ Cooper hits WR AJ Bennett in stride for 41 yards

Cooper has a habit of throwing off-platform, or not setting his feet and using all arm on his throws. Consequently, he’s shown some nice improvisational skills:

QB KJ Cooper throws while back pedaling away from pressure and floats the 15 yard TD pass to WR Roriyon Richardson - Richardson cooked the CB here

And here’s one with fantastic accuracy given the difficult launch point:

QB KJ Cooper makes a nice off-platform throw to TE Xavier Phipps on the back shoulder but the pass is broken up

But conversely, his accuracy can be inconsistent at times:

QB KJ Cooper overthrows it deep for a near INT

Cooper is a mobile quarterback and a threat to move the ball on the ground. Here he escapes the pocket and probably would have picked up more yards had he not tripped on the turf:

QB KJ Cooper escapes the pocket for a 30 yard scramble before tripping on his own feet

And harkening back to improv skills, I am not sure I have ever seen this before. A lot of quarterbacks like to use the threat of a pass on a scramble to buy more yards (and when Cooper did it, he pretty much always kept it— so I hope Cal dares him to throw it), but the way he squares his shoulders to threaten a throw and get the defender to bite here is just chef’s kiss:

QB KJ Cooper squares his shoulders to fake out the defender to pick up a 10 yard run

There’s a very limited sample size of games for Cooper, but I would imagine we’ll see quite a few RPO plays as Texas Southern will likely lean heavily on their rushing attack:

QB KJ Cooper on the RPO keeper for the 10 yard TD (box score credited this to the RB)

The backup quarterback is Jordon Davis, who saw action in 5 games last year (with 4 starts). I don’t expect we’ll see too much of him, but after last season, you never know. Like Cooper, Jordon Davis is also a dual-threat quarterback, but he’s much more inclined to run the ball. In his 4 games as a starter, Davis averaged 82.5 passing yards per game. Although the other starter from last year, Jace Wilson, was more inclined to pass, Texas Southern still finished dead last in their conference in passing yards per game. The one game Davis didn’t start, he came in for one play to just heave it downfield in what became his longest completion of the season:

QB Jordon Davis makes a nice throw downfield for the 49 yard TD to WR Donald McKinney

So it is fair to say that Davis has a reasonable amount of arm strength as well. Davis was not afraid to stand in the pocket:

QB Jordon Davis takes a hit to get the throw off to WR Donald McKinney for 13 yards

And though Davis may be able to heave the ball downfield, he’s far from an accomplished downfield passer:

QB Jordon Davis underthrows the deep ball into double coverage for an INT - safety tipped by QB’s eyes

Davis has also shown some inconsistent throwing mechanics at times:

QB Jordon Davis doesn't set his feet and sails the throw on the would-be TD to WR Kerien Charlo

I do think the lack of a credible passing attack hurt the Texas Southern offense:

QB Jordon Davis misses on the short throw to WR Trenton Leary

All that said, however, Davis has plenty of scrambling ability:

QB Jordon Davis scrambles for the 24 yard TD (negated by a bogus holding penalty)

And also like Cooper, Davis is a credible run threat:

QB Jordon Davis on the draw play for a 15 yard run

Last year, even when Texas Southern was down big, they still held pretty firm to their rushing attack. Although I expect a run-heavy offense here, it’s at least plausible Texas Southern will try to throw the ball more often with KJ Cooper behind center.

Running back

Texas Southern likes to run the ball. A lot.

The Tigers finished the 2024 season with 232 passing attempts and 417 rushing attempts, a roughly 36% pass/64% rush split (Cal last year was nearly 50/50). For reference, the 20.9 pass attempts per game last year would rank roughly 7th to last in the FBS—roughly on par with UL Monroe, and only above the service academies, Iowa, and UNLV. Their leading rusher last year, Quintell Quinn, transferred away, leaving Athean Renfro to be the feature back this year (the players with the 3rd and 4th most rushing attempts after Quinn and Renfro: the 2 QBs).

Athean Renfro fully deserves to be the feature back. Listed at 5’9” and 225 lbs., Renfro was surprisingly speedy given his human bowling ball style. Here, Renfro makes the edge defender pay for overcommitting:

RB Athean Renfro uses his speed as a big guy to get to the edge for an 18 yard run

Texas Southern perhaps wasn’t the best team at run blocking, but Renfro often made due when his blocks would blow up in front of him. See if you can spot a trend:

RB Athean Renfro bounces the run to the outside and shows some speed for the 27 yard run

Here Renfro shows some nice moves on the run:

RB Athean Renfro bounces a run outside for 35 yards

And here’s yet another very similar looking run:

RB Athean Renfro again bounces it outside as the defense overcommits for a 28 yard TD

Given his size, Renfro would often look to run through defenders:

RB Athean Renfro runs through a pair of defenders for the 20 yard TD

If Texas Southern is going to get their offense moving on Saturday, Renfro is going to have to be a big part of that.

Another player that I think is really talented and would not be surprised to see big things from is the running back Chaunzavia Lewis. Lewis is track-star fast and very shifty, although particularly undersized for a college running back (listed on the official roster as 5’9” 155 lbs). He didn’t play in the previous game, and I have no idea how to check if he’s injured or something else, but he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Here Lewis cuts his way into the endzone for the touchdown:

RB Chaunzavia Lewis makes a nice cut and breaks a tackle for the 7 yard TD

Lewis is dangerous when he can get to open space (which is why TSU will also use him as a returner on occasion):

RB Chaunzavia Lewis takes it 26 yards on the swing pass from QB Jordon Davis

Another player who was absent last week but should definitely be put on notice is the redshirt freshman Danny Green Jr. TSU made sure to keep his redshirt, so he saw limited action as a true freshman, but he definitely showed some promise as well:

RB Danny Green Jr hits the hole for 22 yards

No hesitation on this run:

RB Danny Green Jr explodes through the hole for the 6 yard TD

The other running back to see action last week alongside Renfro was the veteran running back Da’Veon Ford. Ford has a power running style, slowly eating up yards between the tackles. Last season, he had 36 carries for 91 yards in 9 games, with his season-long run being 7 yards. He did break off a big run in the receiving game:

RB Da'Veon Ford takes it 37 yards on the screen pass

Ford is unfortunately off to an inauspicious start to this season, however:

RB Da'Veon Ford fumbles after colliding into his blocker TE Jalen Williams

Texas Southern is going to run the ball, whether they’re down by 50 or running a 2 minute drill, so prepare to see a lot of these guys.

Receivers

After watching Texas Southern’s season, and despite an extremely limited sample size of plays, there was one player who stood out to me more than any other: wide receiver Roriyon Richardson. This could be completely off-base, but my hot take is that he’s poised for a breakout year. He’s fast, rangy, and capable of contested catches:

WR Roriyon Richardson makes a nice catch downfield despite the coverage for 36 yards on the throw from QB KJ Cooper

With 3 total catches in 2024, I am not sure I could even articulate why I feel this way. He just looks different out there.

Texas Southern’s leading receiver last year is Trenton Leary. Leary is versatile and capable of lining up outside or inside, but he was most often lined up as the Z-receiver. Leary is an undersized receiver at 5’9” 155 lbs., but what stood out most to me was his crisp route running:

WR Trenton Leary beats the corner on a double move for the 29 yard TD from QB KJ Cooper - nice placement on the ball by Cooper

Despite his shorter stature, he has plenty of athleticism to make up for it, as he does here:

WR Trenton Leary makes a fantastic grab on the contested catch for the 21 yard TD

Leary is another player that is dangerous in open space:

WR Trenton Leary on the catch and run for 32 yards

Nothing special here, just Leary being too fast for the DB to cover:

WR Trenton Leary uses his speed to get open for the 17 yard TD from QB Jordon Davis

Leary is their playmaker, so you can expect TSU to find ways to get him involved:

WR Trenton Leary on the reverse for the 30 yard TD

The other featured receiver is the slot receiver Kerien Charlo. Before I even get into Charlo, I have to mention that he’s contractually obligated to do this upon every first down:

Kerien Charlo’s first down pose.

He has to do this. Has to. I hope he doesn’t get a chance Saturday.

WR Kerien Charlo handles the pass thrown behind him by QB KJ Cooper for 14 yards

Like Leary, Charlo is also 5’9” and speedy. He’s shown good hands, and the ability to make due with less than optimal QB play:

WR Kerien Charlo makes a man miss for the 20 yard catch (steps out at the 2)

(Coincidentally, the above play is the only one I can remember Charlo not doing the pose, because he was distracted by the ref marking him short of the TD).

Charlo again shows nice hands:

WR Kerien Charlo makes a nice diving catch in traffic for 14 yards on the pass from QB KJ Cooper

Charlo is another player that is dangerous in open space (and yes this is the third time I’ve said this, and we will see all 3 of these player below in the special teams section):

WR Kerien Charlo shows his speed on the crossing route for 17 yards

In obvious passing situations, TSU will line up their tight end at the Y-position. A new addition to the team is the 6’4” 250 lbs. tight end, Jalen “Dubb” Williams, a recent transfer from Saginaw Valley State (D2). He had two catches last week, including this one:

TE Jalen Williams shows strong hands on the 23 yard catch from QB KJ Cooper

The other tight end is Kordell Rogers, who shows off a pretty decent route and catch here:

TE Kordell Rogers wins on the out route against Rice backups for the 12 yard TD catch from QB Jordon Davis

Miscellaneous

There are a few other things I wanted to mention that don’t quite fit into an offensive preview.

One thing to keep an eye on is the potential for errant snaps:

Errant snap into the legs of the RB attempting to block near the LOS results in a turnover

On paper, a lot of TSU’s offensive stats are fairly unimpressive. So how did they hang close in so many games? Well, they had some game-changing special teams play.

Kickoff/punt returns

TSU has a number of undersized but very speedy and elusive playmakers. I mentioned them earlier, but here they are again. Chaunzavia Lewis led the SWAC in kick returns, averaging 27.3 yards/return on 22 returns, including this one for 90 yards:

Here WR Kerien Charlo breaks off a big one:

Kickoff return - WR Kerien Charlo returns it 76 yards

And Trenton Leary too, for good measure:

Kickoff return -WR Trenton Leary shows good vision and shiftiness for 47 yards

Kicking

The kicking game was less impressive. Punter Jeremy Ramirez was named preseason All-SWAC 2nd team in 2024, and immediately after the announcer mentioned this, Ramirez shanked a punt out of bounds for about 10 yards (an unfortunate announcer’s curse, but worth noting). Ramirez was again named preseason All-SWAC 2nd team in 2025.

Field goals were also not without chaos:

FG fails when ball snapped and holder not looking

Starting K Gustavo Romero is no longer on the roster (transferred?—can’t find where he went), so the presumptive new FG kicker is Christian Avelar, who went 3/4 on FGs last year with a long of 38.

Conclusion

This is absolutely a game that Cal should control start to finish, and where the backups should get plenty of live reps. In past years, Cal has played uncomfortably close games against FCS playoff teams like UC Davis and Sacramento State (teams that rarely made mistakes), but I don’t think Texas Southern will be contending for an FCS title any time soon. I have a hard time imagining Texas Southern bullying Cal at the line of scrimmage (especially given the youth along the offensive line), and so their run game should have trouble, while Texas Southern’s passing game is untested territory. TSU will also likely try to test the discipline of the edge defenders as they try to bounce runs outside. (Duke had this problem last week against an FCS opponent, where the defensive line got almost too much penetration, but Elon anticipated this and beat them to the outside). On the other side of the ball, TSU frequently struggles with communication in the secondary, frequently busting coverages when one player has to pass off their receiver to another defender. I imagine Cal will run route combinations to confuse the secondary and take advantage of this, so expect to see at least one JKS long bomb to an uncovered receiver. The main goal should be for everyone to stay healthy and build momentum heading into the Minnesota matchup.

As always,

Go Bears!

You can find my full clips here.