For the first time since taking over as University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach prior to the 2019 season, the roster completely has been shaped in Rusty Wright’s image.
Only one player that was on the roster when Wright arrived – senior defensive end Ben Brewton – still remains. The past few seasons have been teams that, despite in most cases thriving under the new staff, weren’t initially recruited to the school by Wright’s crew.
So looking around Scrappy Moore Field Monday in the first of 15 spring practices, the most recognizable names were running back Ailym Ford and edge linebacker Jay Person.
“The biggest thing is that everybody understands that we’re all in it together now,” Wright said. “There’s nobody from a past group that’s here and those kind of things, so it’s all of us; everything that goes good or bad, it’s on all of us and we’re all in it.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get it done.”
In each of the past three seasons — including the 2021 spring campaign — the Mocs put themselves in position to make the playoffs. In the latter two occasions the team fell a win short, while in the spring campaign the team was ranked ninth in the country before opting out with three games to go.
Now from a name recognition standpoint, it’s Ford — the running back with 3,431 career rushing yards and 34 combined rushing and receiving scores — and Person, the 2022 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, returning.
Who else is there? Today we look at that.
Who’s Back? The Mocs actually return a lot of experience on offense with Ford, three receivers, four offensive linemen and two tight ends — all starters from a year ago — back. Defensively Person is the biggest name returning, but Brewton is a two-time All-SoCon performer and four starters in the secondary are also back. Some positions may need to be upgraded and some players improve, but it’s not like the cupboard is bare.
Who’s Up? The biggest question, which has seemingly been one for three seasons now, is who is going to be the quarterback? The two primary starting QBs from the past two seasons, Cole Copeland and Preston Hutchinson, have graduated. Sophomore Ty Gossett, who got one series of game experience in a blowout victory over Virginia Military Institute, is back and is the senior-most member in terms of experience in a UTC jersey. He’ll be pressed by sophomore walk-on Parker Brown and redshirt freshman Lukas Schomburg.
The offensive line has to replace two players — McClendon Curtis and Lucas Lavin — both of whom will be playing professionally, with Curtis likely being a soon-to-be NFL Draft pick. The staff has brought in five offensive linemen in recruiting this season, but the first players up in the spring have been Dave Monnot III — who started his career at Purdue — in Curtis’s spot and junior Jeremiah Katt working with the first unit.
Who’s Next? UCLA transfer quarterback Chase Artopeous, who just arrived in Chattanooga after the Bruins’ 37-35 Sun Bowl victory on Dec. 30, 2022, wasted no time getting acclimated and looked good in his reps Monday.
Most of the new contributors could line up on the defensive side as former Football Championship Subdivision All-American defensive back Clay Fields and former Tyner standout Jeremiah Batiste, who transferred from Miami of Ohio and is making the switch from receiver to defensive back, as well as junior-college All-American lineman E.J. Thomas all could make an immediate impact. Junior Bo Spearman and sophomore Alex Mitchell look primed to replace Kam Jones and Soddy-Daisy product Ty Boeck at the linebacker position.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / University of Tennessee at Chattanooga linebacker Jay Person, last season’s Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is back to help lead the defense as spring practice begins.