Tennessee State AD Named In No Confidence Letter

While fans are rightfully focused on the quality of the product on the field or court, what happens behind the scenes can directly affect athletic performance. This includes planning and preparation from the coaching staff, and operational competence from leaders at the school.

It would seem as if Tennessee State is in a bit of a crisis right now in with regards to the latter. Reports indicate that multiple head coaches at the program are dissatisfied with the job that Athletic Director Dr. Mikki Allen is doing.

WHOA!!! Not the employees calling out their boss to his boss. https://t.co/DCFMWZNnUX

— Coach Bryan (@DrB365) June 1, 2026

“As head coaches entrusted with the development, safety, and success of our student-athletes, we believe it is our responsibility to express serious concerns regarding the current direction, leadership, communication and operational management of the Athletics Department,” they wrote in a letter to President Dwayne Tucker and the school’s Board of Trustees.

The group of coaches believe that the overall direction of the program has gone downhill in recent years under Allen’s eye. They wrote about “a continued decline in trust, morale, transparency and collaborative leadership under the current administration.”

A cliché often discussed in the world of sports is that “winning cures all”. As such, the Tigers’ men’s basketball program made the NCAA Tournament in 2026 in their first season under head coach Nolan Smith. It was the first time they had qualified for March Madness since 1994.

I caught up to these three very happy men – TSU athletic director Mikki Allen, president Dwayne Tucker and basketball coach Nolan Smith – just minutes after @TSUTigersMBB punched its ticket for the NCAA Tournament after crushing Morehead State in the @OVCSports championship pic.twitter.com/aBDDM7BAxJ

— Mike Organ (@MikeOrganWriter) March 8, 2026

However, Smith was one of the six coaches who was involved in bringing the letter to school’s leadership. Football coach Reggie Barlow was also part of the contingent who is concerned with Allen’s performance.

While Allen’s future is yet to be determined, president Tucker is looking into the matter this summer.

“The only statement I would made at this stage is that we are aware of the concerns raised by coaches and we take these things very seriously,” Tucker said. “We will be reviewing the concerns, and that’s pretty much all I can talk about right now.”

The other four coaches who signed the letter are women’s basketball coach Candice Dupree, softball coach Genee McRath, track and field coach Chandra Cheeseborough and volleyball coach Donika Sutton.

Allen hired four of the six coaches who are dissatisfied with his performance, inclusive of Smith, Barlow, Dupree and McRath.

Cheeseborough’s involvement in the matter is perhaps the most notable, as she has been with Tennessee State athletics for over 30 years.

Allen was hired by Tennessee State in May 2020 after spending over a decade working for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Allen is a former Tennessee Volunteers football player.

Allen spoke about a five-year strategic plan when he was hired, which spoke about the importance of competitive excellence, student-athlete enrichment, revenue generation, stakeholder engagement and resource enhancement.

The school’s website highlights a number of facility improvement initiatives Allen has overseen during his time with the program, inclusive of enhancements to the Gentry Center.

It will be fascinating to see how Tucker and the school’s Board of Trustees deal with the issues raised by the coaches, who all appear to allegedly be compromised by the way the athletic department is currently run.