STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Football announced on Thursday that the team has hired Beau Blair and TJ McCollum to its 2025 coaching staff.
 
Blair will serve as the Texans tight ends coach and McCollum will be the defensive assistant, working with the secondary. Blair has spent the last eight years coaching at the collegiate level, last year at Houston Christian, while McCollum arrives in Stephenville after seven seasons coaching at Purdue.
 
"We've made two great additions to our staff, as both Beau Blair and TJ McCollum bring a great deal of experience to Tarleton State," head coach Todd Whitten said. "Coach Blair has elevated the offense every time he's been given the opportunity, most recently at HCU, and Coach McCollum greatly benefitted from a long tenure in the Big Ten Conference. Our student-athletes will learn a great deal from these two."
 
In total, Blair has been coaching for 11 years. At the collegiate level, Blair coached one year at Houston Christian (2024) as Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator, two years at Northwestern State (2022-23) as Offensive Coordinator, two years at New Mexico Highlands (2020-21) as Offensive Coordinator, one year at Incarnate Word (2019) as Football Operations Assistant- Offensive Line, one year at Houston (2018) as Offensive Graduate Assistant, and one year at Southeastern (2017) as Graduate Assistant. Coaching at the high school level, Blair spent two seasons at Jacksonville HS (2015-16) as the offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and boys head powerlifting coach, plus a season spent at Diboll HS (2014) as offensive line coach, boys head powerlifting coach and boys shot put and discus coach. Blair also was an offensive line student assistant at Stephen F. Austin from 2010-13.
 
"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Tarleton State, and I would like to thank Coach Todd Whitten, Steve Uryasz, and Dr. James Hurley," Blair said. "I've seen the university, program, and community grow in so many ways. Tarleton's rich tradition and strong community support are something I'm proud to be a part of."
 
Blair spent last season at Houston Christian as the offensive line coach and Run Game Coordinator. He helped the Huskies to a single-game rushing record 414 yards against McNeese and a single-season average rushing record in conference play at 188 yards.
 
Blair's two years with the Demons in Natchitoches, Louisiana, featured him leading the offense, in particular the running backs and tight ends. In 2022, the Demons ranked 18th in the nation in passing offense (268.9 yards per game).
 
At New Mexico Highlands, Blair was the OC, leading the offensive line and serving as camp coordinator. In 2021, his offense ranked No. 23 in total offense at the NCAA Division II level with 441.8 yards per game, including the 23rd most pass yards per game at 269.8. The Cowboys averaged 30.5 points per contest with five all-conference players, including the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Blair is a Gilmer, Texas, native. He earned his bachelor's degree in composite social studies at SFA in 2014, and his master's degree in human performance and sports at New Mexico Highlands in 2022.
 
McCollum spent the last seven seasons on the Purdue staff, serving as a defensive analyst since 2021. He was a graduate assistant for the Boilermakers from 2018-20. He worked with both the Purdue secondary and linebackers over that span.
 
"I just want to start by thanking God for this incredible opportunity," McCollum said. "Without Him, none of this would be possible. I'm also incredibly grateful to Coach Whitten and Coach [Tyrone] Nix for believing in me and giving me this chance to be part of such a great organization. I'm excited to get to work, contribute to the team, and help us compete at the highest level. Go Texans!"
 
With McCollum's assistance, Purdue advanced to the Big Ten Conference Championship Game and the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in 2022, won the Music City Bowl in 2021, and a Music City Bowl appearance in 2018.
 
McCollum has helped guide several defensive individuals to special success, including the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year, a 2024 NFL Draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens (Sanoussi Kane), a 2023 NFL Draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers (Cory Trice), a 2020 NFL Draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals (Markus Bailey), plus two other NFL signees (Cam Allen with the Denver Broncos and Reese Taylor with the Kansas City Chiefs).
 
McCollum played collegiately as a safety and linebacker at UAB (2013-14), Western Kentucky (2015-16) and Purdue (2017). In his lone season with the Boilermakers, he started all 13 games and helped lead Purdue to a win over Arizona at the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl  He was on a pair of Conference USA championship teams (2015-16) with the Hilltoppers and started for the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl and 2016 Boca Raton Bowl championship teams. He was a two-time All-C-USA honoree at WKU. After college, he played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was in mini camps with the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos.
 
McCollum, whose first name is Travis, is a Birmingham, Alabama, native. He graduated from WKU with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on business in 2016 and from Purdue with a master's degree in technology leadership and innovation in 2018.