Wes Counts was a local prep standout at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro who was recruited by Boots Donnelly and would later help usher Middle Tennessee into the Division I-A (FBS) era. Counts played quarterback for the Blue Raiders from 1998-to-2001 and was Middle Tennessee’s signal caller in its first season of Division I football (1999). The southpaw quarterback guided the Blue Raiders to their first Division I-A Championship as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2001. Counts was also Middle Tennessee’s first Player of the Year at the Division I-A level, earning the honor in 2001. He is Middle Tennessee’s all-time passing leader with 8,007 yards. The record book is littered with references to his ability, all done while facing schedules of Division I-A competition for the first time.
