When you think about what makes for a good quarterback, a sharp mind and a strong arm are usually at the top of the list. B.J. Coleman, meanwhile, has been focusing on his feet.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga redshirt sophomore spent much of the offseason working on his footwork and his quickness, and the work has been paying off throughout spring practice.
"Watching him move around, he has improved his movements, I think, 10-fold from when he got here (last May)," Mocs defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said earlier this month.
On Wednesday, during the Mocs' first practice since March 3, Coleman continued to look quicker and more agile than he did last season. Improving his footwork, he said before practice as he threw warmup passes with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, was one of his top goals of the offseason.
"Feet have been a huge issue," Coleman said. "We've been able to tap into the surface a little bit and be able to use my feet to get to my reads. I think that's been one of the huge pluses for me so far this spring."
Along with film study with Satterfield, which has helped him read plays quicker, Coleman said he made gains in every strength category this winter.
"I definitely feel quicker," he said. "We worked on a lot of explosion stuff, and I was able to get my power clean up pretty significantly, from 265 up to 300."
Along with running well -- Coleman has noticeably more spring in his step than he did last fall -- Coleman has been very sharp with his passes in the Mocs' four practices. Fuller said there have been some thread-the-needle throws that forced him to look at Mocs coach Russ Huesman and shake his head "like, 'Wow, I have zero answer for that one.'"
The Mocs practiced in full pads for a little more than two hours under the lights at Finley Stadium. They will practice again Friday and scrimmage on Saturday.
Prepped for pro day
Several of last season's seniors will be back on the field at Finley Stadium today for UTC's pro day.
Among the former Mocs expected to participate are defensive end Josh Beard, the Southern Conference defensive player of the year, defensive lineman B.J. Taylor, linebacker Joseph Thornton and wideouts Blue Cooper, Clint Woods and Justin Buckhalter, as well as SoCon kicker of the year Craig Camay.
All of the players have been training hard for this day, which is their final opportunity to draw interest from pro football scouts.
"This is show time now," said Thornton, who along with Cooper has been training five days a week at D1 Sports while finishing up school. "We've put in the work, and now we've got to let it all show."