Small moment at Nashville fan event spoke volumes about Titans rookie Carnell Tate’s character
Tennessee Titans star rookie receiver Carnell Tate had his first fan event this week and his first impression continues to check more boxes for the franchise.
Titans rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate made his latest off-field impression on the Nashville community Wednesday afternoon, spending over an hour at a Snickers ice cream fan meet and greet at the Brentwood Kroger.
The Tennessee Titans’ fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft signed autographs, took pictures, and stayed well past his scheduled window to make sure every fan in a massive line got their moment.
Tate’s laid-back personality, genuine interactions, and small character moments added another layer to what has been a stellar first impression from the former Ohio State star since arriving in Tennessee.
The event, sponsored by Snickers ice cream, was scheduled to run from 2 to 3 p.m. Fans started arriving at the Kroger in Brentwood before noon. By the time us in the media arrived, the line stretched around and down the nearest the aisle, then out of sight.
At one point, the event organizers noted that Tate had a flight to catch and needed to pick up the pace. Tate couldn’t have been more gracious, even bending the rules of the appearance by signing Ohio State jerseys, Titans jerseys, a hat, and a football or two beyond the autograph cards the event provided.
The first 50 fans in line received autographs, and everyone who attended got a picture. Kids, Titans fans, Ohio State fans, and plenty who fit both categories packed the line. It was a scene that spoke to the buzz Tate has generated since his head-turning OTA performances had teammates calling him “the truth.”
The Lackey family stole the show
One family stood out above the rest. Brittany, a diehard Ohio State fan, and her husband Adam, a (still) Tennessee Vols fan turned Ohio State bandwagon rider, brought their four kids ranging in age from 1 to 7.
Adam told us that on May 3, shortly after Tate was drafted in late April, the family wandered into a card shop. Adam used to collect cards 30 years ago when the hobby first boomed, and the sports card industry is thriving again.
Adam saw a Carnell Tate card and bought his first one. By June 24, he had accumulated around 50 Carnell Tate cards, all of them autographed, including a couple of one-of-ones.
He brought them to the Kroger in a Brinks-truck-style briefcase. Tate was visibly impressed. He laughed as he recognized some of the cards from signing sessions and admitted he had been looking for a few of the one-of-ones himself. They were with the Lackey family the whole time.
“I’ve been looking for all the one-of-ones,” Tate told Lackey. “I’m gonna have them all soon.”
Lackey joked back with a quick wit, drawing laughs from Tate and others around.
“You know where to go…”
“I’m not selling them… To you, I might.”
I asked someone I consider a borderline expert in the sports card industry, and they estimated that Lackey’s collection could have cost anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000, with a couple of the higher-end one-of-ones potentially reaching four digits individually.
Adam admits it looks and sounds crazy, but the bug has bitten him. He’s far from alone. I know several people in my life who have caught the sports card bug over the last few years as the industry has come roaring back.
A small moment that said a lot about Tate’s character
One moment stuck with me, and I mentioned it to Nick Suss from the Tennessean who was standing nearby.
A fan came up to Tate for the standard autograph and photo exchange. During the interaction, the fan accidentally bumped into the Snickers ice cream Carnell Tate cardboard display on the table behind them. It fell to the ground. The fan didn’t notice. Nobody would have.
Tate did. Without hesitation, he picked it up, placed it back where it belonged, and made sure it was displayed correctly. It was second nature.
When you hear coaches, GMs, and football evaluators talk about drafting a human being alongside a football player, this is the kind of thing they mean. The whole cliché of talking to janitors and cafeteria workers at a prospect’s school exists because these small, unscripted moments reveal who someone is.
Tate passed that test without knowing he was taking it.
Love Island, ice cream trucks, and quarterback loyalty
Tate talked about growing up in Chicago as one of the neighborhood kids chasing the ice cream truck. If you missed it one day, you made sure you didn’t miss it two days in a row.
He also went deeper into sharing his Love Island reality TV interest, which felt like it could spawn a podcast one day given his enthusiasm when talking on and off camera with local Nashville TV reporters Kendall Lanier and Janyre Cooper.
But when I asked what he would watch if he had one hour of TV viewing time during a busy NFL receiver day, Tate said he’d choose the Netflix Cam Ward quarterback episode over Love Island. Titans fans can rest easy. He doesn’t even vote in the Love Island polls. He’s just there to watch.
Tate is heading out for a quick vacation before his first NFL training camp. He described himself as an active vacation guy, not a relaxing one.
The Titans appear to have a solid one in Carnell Tate. Through OTAs, minicamp, and now a Wednesday afternoon at Kroger, everything points to a franchise wide receiver who handles himself the right way on and off the field. Training camp opens at the end of July, and that’s when we’ll find out how it all translates with pads on.