THOMAS COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Thomas University football hosts Erskine College on Saturday Night as new Head Coach Dan Pippin debuts a rebuilt Night Hawks roster to the home crowd.
Thomas University football is preparing for its home opener Saturday night against Erskine College, and for a program that went 0-11 last season, the game represents more than just a new year — it marks the start of a new era.
Dan Pippin takes over a program he already knows. He served as Thomas' offensive coordinator last season before being elevated to head coach. After an 0-11 finish, few familiar faces remain on the roster. Pippin and his staff brought in more than 100 new players and coaches, giving the program something close to a blank slate.
"You can stay in South Georgia and North Florida and have an unbelievable football team. And that's kind of — that's what our plan is going to be from here on out, is to recruit our area, not lose guys from our area to other places. This is a good school. Our campus got much, much nicer. I think we're going to have a great football program. It's going to take a little bit of time, like anything good does. But this is going to be, I think, a special place," Pippin said.
The changes go beyond personnel. For the first time, Thomas football is bringing in scholarship athletes, and the program is no longer limited to students participating in its military transition program. That has opened up a significantly different recruiting pool for Pippin and his staff.
The Night Hawks have already played once this season, but Saturday night is their first chance to show the home crowd what this rebuilt program looks like.
"You know, it's a culmination of a lot of people working really hard. And a lot of them aren't even on — you know, they're not football staff. It's just a lot of people. So it's a big game. And it's, like, I think it's more of a celebration than a game, really, for everybody just because of all the work that's gone into it," Pippin said.
Thomas University hosts Erskine College Saturday night in Thomasville.
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