Tae Davis's time to become a true impact player for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program was bound to come in the 2017 season.
But it's looking as though it will happen at a position different than what he may have expected.
UTC football coach Tom Arth watches his team during spring drills Tuesday afternoon at Scrappy Moore Field.
Tae Davis (19) watches the defense as he begins his switch from safety to linebacker for the 2017 season during spring practice Tuesday at Scrappy Moore Field.
Davis has made the move to middle linebacker for the Mocs, who opened spring practice Tuesday. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior from Oxford, Ala., was stuck in a logjam of talented safeties the past three seasons and was the expected successor to two-time first-team All-Southern Conference selection Cedric Nettles, but now he has moved forward in new coordinator Tom Kaufman's 3-4 scheme to leading and making calls for the UTC defense.
Davis, who shone on special teams last year, had started to make his way into the rotation with a career-high nine tackles against Alabama. He finished the 2016 season with 31 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
"There are more calls, more responsibilities," Davis said after Tuesday's practice. "You have to make sure the guys are lined up and know your stuff, but once you know your stuff, everything flows real good."
Although there is a lot of change for the entire team - running backs coach Shawn Bryson is the lone holdover on the staff - the team seemed to adjust pretty well Tuesday, with the practice seeming to flow throughout.
"The biggest thing for me, as probably for a lot of guys, is that we have to make sure we're coachable," Davis said. "We're going to be uncomfortable with some stuff, but just know that it's all for the good.
"The sooner you buy in and perfect your craft, you can be pretty good for this team."
Kaufman said Tuesday that Davis's athletic ability was the main lure in moving him to the middle, which paved the way for junior Tae Lawson, who experimented at linebacker last year, to shift back to safety. The coaches feel Davis can cover vast amounts of space.
"They're not tackle-to-tackle guys," Kaufman said of linebackers. "It doesn't matter what position they're playing, they have to be able to run sideline to sideline, and he can certainly do that. He can drop into zone coverages, and I feel good matching him up against tight ends and running backs, maybe even some slots in some situations."
Kaufman, who took over for Brandon Staley earlier this month, credited linebackers coach Matt Feeney for working with Davis prior to Kaufman's arrival.
"Tae has done a fantastic job," Kaufman said. "He's one of the guys that stood out to me, and he will be as good as he chooses to be, and right now he's choosing to be really, really good."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.