2023: Cottle appeared in all 11 games with six starts at linebacker.  He produced 39 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.  He had four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a pass break up. Cottle led the Eagles' defense with eight tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass break up in C-N's 35-3 beatdown of Virginia-Lynchburg (Aug. 31) en route to TSWA Player of the Week honors. Every stat was a new career high for Cottle. Cottle's accolade is the first of his career. He becomes the first Eagle recognized for their defensive efforts since Frank Lee garnered a state defensive player of the week award on Oct. 17, 2022.   The Alabama-native's defensive effort helped key a sensational defensive performance for C-N against the Dragons. C-N limited the Dragons to 75 yards of total offense (third fewest all-time), 1.9 yards per play (fourth fewest all-time) and just six rushing yards (ninth fewest all-time). The Dragons only had one first down after halftime and the 40 plays they ran are the fewest ever by a C-N opponent. He followed that up with an eight-tackle day against ETSU (Sep. 9). Cottle had 1.5 sacks against both VUL and ETSU.  

HONORS: 

• TSWA Player of the Week (9/5)

2022: Cottle appeared in all 11 games and made four starts as a freshman at linebacker.  He wrapped up the year fifth on the team in tackles with 43. Included in that tally were 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.  He all broke up two passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.  He was most productive toward the end of the season. Cottle accounted for 23 of his 43 tackles in the final three weeks of the season.  He had nine tackles against UVA Wise (Nov. 5), including seven solo, sandwiched around seven-tackle performances against Emory & Henry (Oct. 29) and Catawba (Nov. 12).  His fuimble recovery came in week two against Franklin Pierce (Sept. 10). His forced fumble was a strip sack at Mars Hill (Oct. 22).  

2021: Injured, medically redshirted. 

HIGH SCHOOL: In his time with the Tigers, Cottle was a two-time All-State first team member. Cottle was placed on the All-County and All-Region team three times throughout high school. He played on the 2020 State champions Tigers team.

PERSONAL: The son of Phillip and Robin Cottle. He plans to major in business at Carson-Newman. Committed to C-N over DI schools such as Troy and South Alabama.