For most of his first two years in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program, quarterback Battle Alberson’s growth curve was like a gradual hill.
An injury to starter Camden Orth after the ninth game of the 2025 season made that curve much steeper as Alberson’s responsibilities rose suddenly and sharply, but that experience also has put him in position to potentially be a leader for the Mocs this year as a redshirt sophomore.
Not every game is going to be like the first start of his UTC career, when he was named the Football Championship Subdivision’s national freshman of the week and Southern Conference player of the week after passing for 277 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 85 yards in a 45-28 home win over Furman. He completed 15 of his 22 passes that day at Finley Stadium, but the following two games — road losses to Mercer, which would repeat as SoCon champion, and Wofford — were quite different, as the now 6-foot-2, 210-pounder had one touchdown and four turnovers.
What was that first week after the Furman game actually like?
“I had kind of gone from not playing, just kind of the same weeks, to all of a sudden I was out there playing,” the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from Gulf Breeze, Florida, recalled this past week as the Mocs kicked off preseason practices. “I was hearing from a lot of folks that I haven’t heard from in a while.”
(READ MORE: Alberson faces new challenge with Mocs headed to Mercer)
The victory against the Paladins was a feel-good moment, but it also provided some game footage of him for opponents, and they seized upon Alberson’s inexperience. He also got a bit banged up against Furman and didn’t tell his coaches, which didn’t exactly help as he was sacked seven times in the final two games and hit countless others.
Those things did contribute to the poor showings, but the three games gave him experience necessary to fight for the starting spot going into 2026. The Mocs are set to open at West Georgia on Aug. 27.
“He’s gotten a lot stronger physically,” UTC head coach Rusty Wright said. “I think that’s helped him. He’s changed his body a little bit, understanding what we’re trying to do.
“I think he understands what we’re trying to do offensively to get the things done that we need to get done, and I think that’s the biggest growth. The more he plays, the better he’ll get. He’s got good talent, a good skill set, and he’s just got to continue doing that.”
Alberson and center Devin Lively were part of the same freshman class in 2024. They spent a lot of time developing as a pair, so Lively has a unique sense of where the growth has been.
“Battle stepped in last year in a tough situation,” Lively said. “We’re playing for the playoffs when he stepped in, but it had been a rough season up to that point, and he stepped in, took the reins to the offense and really controlled the situations.
“I think the biggest growth this offseason is just confidence in himself as a leader.”
Wright, who is preparing for his eighth season in charge at his alma mater, and his staff typically don’t tip their hand when there is a quarterback battle, and Alberson is in competition with redshirt junior Matthew Clemmer and junior Parker Awad, a New Mexico State transfer.
And regardless of who wins the starting job going into the opener, there are no givens. In Wright’s tenure as UTC’s head coach, only twice has he had a quarterback who started every game in a season (Nick Tiano in 2019 and Preston Hutchinson in 2022).
Still, Alberson’s performance, his experience in the system and his potential have put him in a good place so far.
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“This offseason was pretty much the same as every offseason, just becoming a better football player and becoming a better leader,” Alberson said. “I focused on getting in the weight room and building on that and then improving my game on the field and my mental ability.
“I’ve worked on being a leader, but I think that kind of applies to everybody on the team. Coach Wright says a lot, ‘Get your house in order,’ and people notice that whenever we’re out there and you’re not skipping reps and not taking plays off, going full speed. The guys definitely notice that.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.