At one point during Tuesday’s practice at Scrappy Moore Field, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offensive coordinator Jeff Durden turned and said, “I like 18 on offense.”
Dy’Kari Hickey – No. 18 – likes being on offense as well.
The 6-foot, 175-pound junior college transfer has made the move from defense to the offensive side of the ball, where he has split time between the backfield and receiver as the coaches try to figure out the best spot for the versatile player.
Hickey arrived on the UTC campus a day before preseason camp began. He was a preferred walk-on at Tennessee but left Knoxville during the summer and found his way to Chattanooga.
He was originally slated to be a cornerback, but a logjam – which has included junior Trevor Wright’s move from the dime back to corner and true freshman walk-on Jordan Jones’ emergence at the position – gave Hickey the opportunity to move to offense, where he always preferred to play.