Josh Cardiello is accustomed to change.
During his college football career, he has changed schools, transferring from the University of Georgia to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga two years ago. He has changed position coaches often, with new UTC offensive line coach Nick Hennessey the fifth position coach he has had as he prepares for his fifth and final college season.
Cardiello has even changed positions, enrolling at Georgia in January 2013 as a center but moving to right guard at UTC, where he earned All-Southern Conference second-team honors. Now he's an older member of a youthful offensive line and is adjusting again - he took first-team reps at center through the first week of spring practice.
Cardiello was ranked as high as the No. 5 center in the country coming out of Buford (Ga.) High School, despite not even playing the position in prep football.
"I played tackle in high school, so when I got to Georgia, it was the first time I'd played center," he said last week. "It took me a while to figure it out there. How to snap a ball, adjusting to that level of play was kind of difficult, but once I figured it out, it's been fine.
"I've worked on it on and off since I've been here, so it hasn't been too bad. I know the offense well enough where I can direct everyone and be the center of the offensive line and control everything."
He's the only senior on a line that currently has a junior and three sophomores garnering first-team reps and only one other player, sophomore left tackle Malcolm White, who has made multiple starts. Cardiello has 26 career starts (20 at right guard, six at left tackle), and by virtue of experience alone, he will be looked up to as the leader of the unit.
Hennessey said that has been another adjustment for the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder.
"When you're the old guy, they look up to you to be the leader whether you want to be or not, because you're old," Hennessey said. "That's just the way it works. Some people are natural there, some are not, but Josh has been working at it.
"It's just one of those things that's 24/7, and he's been doing a great job with that challenge."
Cardiello said the biggest thing he's trying to harp to the younger linemen is that although the name of the coach and the verbiage has changed, most everything else about playing the position is the same.
"They're all going to be nervous, but they're starting to overcome that," he said. "We're still kind of doing the same things, and I'm trying to get them to understand that. They just need to relax, go out and play.
"They're all very capable. We've got some good young players, so I think we're coming along."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.