University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman told sophomore Montrell Pardue to trust the process.
It looks as though the process is starting to work out for Pardue.
As Huesman and the UTC defensive coaches look to find the best 11 players to put on the field, the 6-foot, 205-pounder has thrust himself into the conversation with a solid spring and a solid preseason camp. Going into the Sept. 1 season opener against Shorter, Pardue has been moved from safety to the dime position as the staff continues to tinker with the lineup.
In limited time last season, he showed the ability to be a playmaker. Starting the season opener against Jacksonville State at strong safety, Pardue had one of the Mocs' highlight plays, stripping the ball and returning it 55 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
Now, with Trevor Wright moving back to cornerback from the dime (extra defensive back), Pardue was an obvious choice to move into the vacant position.
"I feel good about that move," defensive coordinator Adam Braithwaite said. "We've known for a while he's a good football player, but he's been in a room with some guys that have played a lot of ball that have some seniority on him, and you want to do right by everybody. But of course you want to find the best 11, so this probably makes a lot of sense."
Pardue had been in a logjam at safety, behind senior Cedric Nettles and junior Lucas Webb - both two-time first-team All-Southern Conference selections - so it looked as though it would be at least one more season before Pardue would work his way into the starting lineup. But a couple of dismissals from the team at defensive back created an opportunity, and it made sense to at least give him a shot.
"I've adjusted way quicker than I thought I would," Pardue said. "Coming from safety to dime, when you play safety, you've got to know the whole defense, so when I moved to dime, I didn't know exactly what I had to do, but I knew what the safety had, so I knew what I would have to cover by the end of the play."
Huesman said Pardue is one of the Mocs' best 11 players on defense, so "he's going to play."
"There are a lot of positions he could be playing: free (safety), strong (safety), dime, corner. He'd probably be a decent linebacker," Huesman said.
Pardue registered 23 tackles and a sack in his first season on the field, earning All-SoCon honors. That was at safety, but he said he's already picked up the dime position and feels it's his "most confident position on the field."
"If I'm on the field, I'm going to make plays regardless," he said, "but being at dime I've made more plays there than I felt like I would have in the first place. I still know I've got to work and I've got work to do. I'm just working to get better."
The Mocs will hold a closed scrimmage at 7:45 this morning at Finley Stadium.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleyftp.