It’s time for another early start to spring practices for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team, which is set for a Monday morning return to Scrappy Moore Field.
Just 12 weeks have passed since UTC’s 2024 season ended with a 24-17 nonconference win at Austin Peay and disappointment the following day, when the Mocs were left out of the 24-team field for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
UTC, which overcame an 0-3 start last season to go 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the Southern Conference, didn’t get an at-large berth a year after receiving one (and advancing to the second round) in the program’s first postseason appearance since 2015.
Now, less than a week after national signing day pushed their 2025 recruiting class to 23, the Mocs will begin on-field preparations for Rusty Wright’s seventh season as head coach at his alma mater, doing so after an offseason in which the program basically had to start over in terms of player personnel.
Monday will mark the first of 15 practices over the next five weeks. Here’s an attempt to make sense of the new-look roster, with five questions on some key positions and thoughts on how the Mocs may handle things.