Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Tanner Botts was one of the most feared defensive players in Lenoir-Rhyne football history. The Bears went 40-9 during his four years on the squad, winning four SAC Championships, qualifying for three NCAA Tournaments, and made an appearance in the national championship game in 2013. He is scattered all over the Lenoir-Rhyne football record book, ranking second in career forced fumbles (7), third in career tackles (385), and seventh in career TFL (36). His 134 tackles in 2013 are ninth in program history and his 25 total tackles against Carson-Newman in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs are an NCAA Division II Playoff record. Botts was a three-time All-SAC honoree, a two-time All-American, and was the 2014 SAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to his exploits on the football field, Botts was a four-year member of the Men's Lacrosse team, helping lead them to a SAC Regular Season Championship in 2014. 

Following his playing career, Botts worked as a strength and conditioning intern at The Citadel before returning to Hickory to become a graduate assistant with the football team. He spent time as a Special Education Paraprofessional with the Fulton County School District and as a Physical Education Teacher in the Gwinnett County public school system. Botts currently lives in Columbus, Georgia, with his wife Leah and daughter Lucy.