Coaches, media show respect for UTC football

Not that long ago, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's football program was ecstatic about being picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference.

That was in 2012.

Times have changed.

For the second consecutive season, the Mocs were the preseason pick to win the conference at media day for SoCon football Wednesday in Spartanburg, S.C. UTC received 29 of 30 first-place votes in the media poll and seven of eight in the coaches' poll.

Samford was second in the coaches' poll, while Western Carolina was second in the media poll.

UTC head coach Russ Huesman said the Mocs - who went 7-0 against league competition last season to win an outright SoCon title for the first time - don't shy away from such rankings and predictions. Players are even provided with a guide that lists all preseason rankings, along with the preseason All-SoCon team.

"I figure the guys are smart enough to where they see and know, so for me to act like it's not out there makes no sense," Huesman said. "The ranking is nice; it means we had a good year and we have some guys coming back, and that's a good thing.

"You still have to play. You want to end up first, but I think people realize we have good players coming back."

A number of those players were recognized Wednesday. Quarterback Jacob Huesman, the coach's son, was the preseason pick to win SoCon offensive player of the year, having won the postseason award the past two seasons. He was one of 12 Mocs selected to preseason all-conference teams, including eight who received first-team honors. On the offensive side, Huesman was joined by lineman Corey Levin, who won the 2014 Jacobs Blocking Award as the best lineman in the SoCon.

Defensive linemen Keionta Davis and Josh Freeman were first-team selections, as were Dee Virgin and Lucas Webb in the secondary and Nakevion Leslie at linebacker. Henrique Ribeiro was the first-team kicker.

"All of the preseason awards and rankings are nice," Jacob Huesman said. "It's nice to be recognized by the teams and coaches around us, but really it's about what happens at the end of the season.

"Hopefully they're still talking about us at that time."

Offensive linemen Jacob Revis and Synjen Herren were second-team picks, along with receiver C.J. Board, while Cedric Nettles was a second-team defensive back.

Former Calhoun standout Chandler Curtis, a rising sophomore at Mercer, was the return specialist for the first team, while former Baylor standout John Mackey was a second-team defensive lineman as he prepares for his senior season at Furman.

Despite UTC's defensive line being a tentative area of concern in terms of depth, the Mocs had more players selected to the preseason first team this season - Davis and Freeman - than they did last season, when it turned out to be their biggest strength. A year ago, current New Orleans Saints rookie Davis Tull was the only preseason pick.

The Mocs have to replace four defensive linemen: Tull, Derrick Lott - who is in the Tennessee Titans' preseason camp - Zach Rayl and Danny Ring.

"It's all about the next man up," Freeman said. "I want to lead this group and be the best leader I can and help the other guys learn. We have a lot of guys eager to play and ready for the opportunity."

'Helmets and Heels' clinic set for Friday

The UTC coaching staff will host a women's football clinic at 6 p.m. Friday at Finley Stadium, with doors opening at 5. Admission is $40, with pre-registration available at gomocs.com; UTC students, faculty and staff receive a $15 discount. All proceeds will benefit the Huesman's Huddle program, which provides free admission to home games for underprivileged fans. All who attend the clinic will receive a visor, and the first 50 to register will receive free admission to the Chattanooga Times Free Press' SHE Expo on Saturday. The clinic includes instruction from the coaching staff, both on the field and in the Finley Stadium Club, and door prizes and other awards will be given throughout the evening. In addition, clinic participants and others are invited to submit their best recipes at gomocs.com for the Chattanooga Football Tailgating Recipe Book.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.