Tennessee Titans players gather together during NFL football rookie minicamp Friday, May 13, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Mark WiedmerNASHVILLE - Someone in the Tennessee Titans front office called Jacob Huesman at his Chattanooga residence a few days ago.
"We're trying to work out a flight for you," the employee said.
"That's OK," Huesman said. "I think I can drive to Nashville."
And so the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga quarterback did just that Thursday afternoon, making the 135-minute trip up I-24 in plenty of time to take part in the NFL team's rookie camp this weekend.
"I had a couple of good sets in a row," Huesman said at the close of Friday's workout. "I missed a couple of throws this morning, but I was on target this afternoon."
As one of two quarterbacks on the camp roster working out for Titans coach Mike Mularkey and his staff - the other is Toledo's Phillip Ely, a one-time Alabama signee - the three-time Southern Conference offensive player of the year certainly looked on target against drafted rookie defenders Austin Johnson of Penn State, Kevin Dodd of Clemson and Kevin Byard of Middle Tennessee State.
Former Massachusetts wideout Tajae Sharpe caught a number of perfect throws from Huesman, who as a senior last year led the Mocs to a second straight appearance in the FCS playoffs.
"He was great out there," Sharpe said. "He put a lot of balls in the right place, and that's really hard when you've never played together before."
It is especially hard on unsigned tryout players like Huesman. While draft picks and free agents under contract have been at the team's complex for several days to familiarize themselves with Mularkey's system and expectations, the 23-year-old Huesman is basically starting cold turkey every time he's invited to a rookie camp, as he was a week ago in Pittsburgh.
"I knew about (the Titans' invitation) two weeks ago," Huesman said. "But after Pittsburgh, I didn't want to tell anybody. I wanted to keep this a little quiet. That was embarrassing (with the Steelers). I came back home with no contract."
He could suffer a similar fate here. The Titans already have four quarterbacks on their roster, including 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, whom the front office sees as the face of the franchise for years to come.
Yet when Mularkey discussed what he was looking for from the tryout players not under contract, he seemed to give a perfect description of Huesman.
"If we can find out anything, it might be how bright they are," he said. "How quickly can they pick up the system? The hard part for the tryout guys is that they literally came in (Thursday night). Because of that, I won't comment on them until we've had a chance to look at some film tonight."
Former UTC assistant and new Austin Peay head coach Will Healy didn't need film to evaluate Huesman's efforts. He stood on the sideline for much of Friday's workout and kept an eye on the most decorated quarterback in UTC history.
"Jacob was extremely accurate," Healy said. "He was cool, calm and collected out there, just the way he's always been. I didn't see him pat the ball (before throwing it) one time."
Added Huesman, almost before those words left Healy's lips: "You can't pat the ball."
Huesman believes it helps his case that "there are lots of similarities between what we're doing here (on offense) and what we did in Chattanooga."
Whatever happens, UTC fans can't help but be proud of Huesman. He is clearly prepared, enthusiastic and supremely driven to deliver his best effort at all times, regardless of the overwhelming odds he faces to become an NFL quarterback as a tryout player.
"They might not sign me. But maybe I'll do well enough to put a bug in their ear that I can play at this level," he said inside the Titans' locker room, where he dressed at a permanent locker bearing a temporary name tag: Jacob Huesman, No. 10.
Huesman was asked if he might keep the tag as a souvenir after the weekend.
"Depends on how I do," he said with a smile. "But I'll keep the (workout) shirts and shorts, for sure."
And at least for this tryout, those items won't have to pass through airport security on their way back to the Scenic City.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.