Although Middle Tennessee began competing in intercollegiate football in 1911,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1949. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1949, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Blue Raiders have played in ten bowl games since then, most recently the 2022 Hawaii Bowl, giving many recent players an extra game to accumulate statistics.
In addition, the Blue Raiders played in the 2018C-USA Championship Game, providing yet another game for players in that season.