Not all the victories a college football coach celebrates come on the field of play. Sometimes it’s a troubled kid turning his life around. Sometimes it’s the least talented player on the team making a play that saves a game. Then there are those young men who move on to the next level, where they’re paid to play with more than a scholarship.
For the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Rusty Wright, this past week not only delivered him his first collegiate head coaching victory when the Mocs dispatched Eastern Illinois 24-10 on Thursday night at Finley Stadium, it gave him a pretty special recruiting edge when NFL franchises announced their 53-man rosters for the start of the regular season.
Not only did five former Mocs make the 53-man squads, two more – Keionta Davis with the world champion New England Patriots and Kareem Orr of the Tennessee Titans – were placed on injured reserve and practice squads, respectively.
“Those guys are not only good football players, they are also good people,” Wright said during Tuesday’s media luncheon. “They are as good of folks as you want to be around. I am excited for those guys. Hopefully, they get an opportunity to play and show what they can do.”
Four of the five on the 53-man rosters have direct ties to Wright. Third-year offensive lineman Corey Levin (just picked up by Denver), Titans rookie defensive lineman Isaiah Mack, second-year New York Giants linebacker Tae Davis and third-year wideout C.J. Board (Jacksonville) were all recruited or coached by Wright during his years as a UTC assistant.