University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright had a chance to evaluate his team in the Mocs’ lone game this fall, a 13-10 loss on Oct. 24 at Western Kentucky, a Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA program.
Wright, who led UTC to a 6-6 record last year in his first season leading his alma mater, had a chance to see where the Mocs are good and where they need to improve.
With the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and the Southern Conference season pushed back to the spring 2021 semester because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more games ahead for the Mocs, but before returning to competition Feb. 20 against Virginia Military Institute at Finley Stadium, there is off-field business to be done. The early signing period for college football is next Wednesday through Friday, with the traditional period starting Feb. 3.
If the Mocs’ performance at Western Kentucky (5-6) – the Hilltoppers finished their regular season last Saturday with a 37-19 road win against the Charlotte 49ers, coached by former UTC assistant Will Healy – is any indication, the current personnel give Wright and his staff far more reason to be pleased than concerned. But what can they do to improve via recruiting, whether in signing high school players or landing transfers?
UTC has five players committed for the 2021 signing class, including two prep athletes from Georgia: offensive lineman Christian Anderson from Cedar Grove near Atlanta and Jamario Blige from Windsor Forest in Savannah, who could play defensive back or outside linebacker. The other three are transfers: Offensive lineman Blake Mitchell, who was an All-Ohio Valley Conference selection at Austin Peay; punter Jason Pierce, who earned All-OVC honors at Jacksonville State in 2018; and Tyler “Smoke” Smith, a receiver from Western Kentucky.
Wright has been very deliberate in his recruiting this fall – remember, players don’t lose a year of NCAA eligibility in 2020-21 regardless of how much they play, meaning the roster for next fall could require some juggling – but there are probably still some glaring needs or areas where the Mocs could simply use a boost via recruiting. Also noteworthy is that midyear enrollees coming from the high school ranks cannot play this coming spring.
Staff photo by Troy Stolt / UTC quarterback Drayton Arnold (3) celebrates his 10-yard touchdown run with teammates during the first half of the Mocs’ 13-10 loss at Western Kentucky on Oct. 24. That trip to Bowling Green was the Mocs’ lone game this fall, but they are set to play their SoCon schedule during the spring 2021 semester, when the FCS playoffs are also scheduled.Here are five positions where the Mocs could be looking to improve.
Quarterback: The Mocs have enough talented upperclassmen to compete for championships in both the spring and next fall. But to do so, they’re probably going to need at least one quarterback via recruiting to help put them over the top. UTC isn’t bad at the position but does lack experience. Drayton Arnold has thrown just 33 passes in five college seasons, and his rust showed at the end of the Western Kentucky game, when he was unable to lead the Mocs downfield when needed. Arnold’s backup is Cole Copeland, an All-SoCon freshman team selection in 2017 who hasn’t thrown a pass since, and the Mocs also have freshman Ty Gossett. The Mocs don’t want to look back on 2021 – spring or fall – and say “We were a quarterback away.”
Receiver: By the conclusion of the fall 2021 season, UTC will lose four receivers -Reginald Henderson, Bryce Nunnelly, Kanore McKinnon and Tyrin Summers – who combined for 56% of the team’s catches in 2019 and hauled in five of Arnold’s seven completions against the Hilltoppers. (Western Michigan transfer Tyron Arnett had the other two.) It makes sense to bring in a player or two who can contribute immediately, especially considering Arnett is the only other upperclassman on the roster at this position. Smith – a former three-star prospect who had an offer sheet out of high school that included South Carolina – will provide some immediate help if he follows through and signs, but another body or two could help.
Offensive line: The Mocs have four seniors at this position: Center Kyle Miskelley, tackle Harrison Moon and guard Cole Strange are incumbent starters, and center Noah Ramsey has started 15 games in his UTC career. As the Mocs learned after the 2016 season, when Corey Levin graduated and center Jacob Revis and tackle Hunter Townson chose not to use their remaining eligibility, you can’t have enough quality depth on the line, because that unit was in shambles in 2017. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Anderson, who is expected to graduate in December and enroll at UTC in the spring, could be more of a project, but Mitchell could help in the fall. An addition beyond those two could make sense as well.
Inside linebacker: Ty Boeck and Kam Jones are quality starters, and both being juniors gives UTC the option to sit back and let some younger players develop. However, an injury to Boeck or Jones would immediately force redshirt freshman Justin Sanders or former walk-on Christian Snyder to contribute in a big role. The Mocs have had success with walk-on inside linebackers, with Marshall Cooper an All-SoCon pick in 2019, but adding a player with some college experience is important.
Defensive back: Brandon Dowdell? Senior. Jerrell Lawson? Senior. Jordan Jones? Senior. The Mocs are old in the secondary, and after offseason surgery kept junior CaMiron Smith from playing against the Hilltoppers, it left some inexperience at the cornerback spot opposite Jones, especially after losing sophomore Kameron Brown on the day of the game due to a personal matter (although Jelen Lee did play well). Adding some experience could help in the long run, especially at safety as the Mocs will lose Dowdell and Lawson by the end of next year.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.