Keith Mayes of the Chattanooga MocsAsked about his move back to safety during spring practice, Keith Mayes flashed a big smile.
Mayes had played linebacker since he joined the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team -- he had 10 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2011 -- but he was shifted to strong safety before the third of the Mocs' 15 spring practices.
The 5-foot-10, 202-pound Mayes said he will play wherever the coaches need him, but safety is his preferred spot -- and he was all-state there as a Red Bank High School senior.
"I like it because I have a little more space and a little more time to react," Mayes said following Monday's helmets-only practice, the Mocs' first since returning from spring break. "The only thing is that it's just a different angle of the field that I'm looking at."
The first-team safeties are D.J. Key (strong) and Zach McCarter (free). Mayes is working behind Key, an All-Southern Conference player last season.
"We don't have much depth, we think he can do it and we need a quality person to push D.J. and allow D.J. to maybe play some free [safety], too," defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said.
Mayes had been backing up Gunner Miller at Will linebacker, but as the Mocs play more and more nickel defense, with five defensive backs, the Will spot isn't on the field as much.
Head coach Russ Huesman said UTC's linebackers and defensive backs need to be versatile. Freshman D'Eddric Williams, UTC's early enrollee, has moved from defensive end to linebacker, and redshirt freshman Sema'je Kendall has moved from free safety to cornerback.
Spring practice gives coaches the opportunity to try players at different spots without the time crunch of a game week.
"Take Sema'je. He's shown enough athleticism that we think he can play corner, but we want to give him some of these practices to see if he can," Huesman said. "You've got to be versatile and you've got to have the ability to do a lot of things."
Tide's example
Following practice, Huesman spoke at length to the team about being more mentally tough. To demonstrate the toughness he's looking for, Huesman cited the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Last season's Bowl Subdivision national champions practiced the Friday night before spring break began. While other teams were headed for the beach, the team that has won two of the last three national titles was on the field practicing.
"And I guarantee you not one of them complained or griped," Huesman said. "They probably had a great practice, and they're mad when they lose one game. We've got to get tough; we've got to get mentally tough."
Montgomery returns
Redshirt freshman safety Cam Montgomery practiced for the first time Monday. He was suspended along with Clim Robbins and T.J. Thompson before spring practice for violating team rules.
Huesman said Montgomery is the only one of the three who will participate in spring practice. Tight end Faysal Shafaat, who missed the first six practices with a back injury, also returned Monday.
Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.