In just a few years, thanks to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team’s 2010 signing class, the Mocs could have a decidedly local flavor in their starting lineup.
Picture quarterback Terrell Robinson (South Pittsburg) handing the ball off to tailback Keon Williams (Red Bank), who breaks free for a big run with offensive lineman Devin Caldwell (Boyd-Buchanan) plowing the road in front of him.
Robinson, Williams and Caldwell are three of the area standouts to sign with the Mocs on Wednesday, joining Red Bank safety Keith Mayes and McMinn Central linebacker Zach Rayl.
The Mocs sent out just 14 letters of intent and got all of them back, and five of them were signed by players from in and around Chattanooga. That might seem like a good marketing strategy, and a good way to help fill some seats at Finley Stadium, but home addresses had nothing to do with who received a scholarship offer, coach Russ Huesman said.
“We recruit local kids because they’re good enough players to play — bottom line,” Huesman said. “We never once said let’s take Keon or let’s take Terrell so we’ll get more people in the stands. Not once did we say that.”
The Mocs are by no means devoid of local talent now. There’s all-conference left tackle Chris Harr (Notre Dame), quarterback B.J. Coleman and his favorite target from their days at McCallie together, Joel Bradford, among others.
But it’s not often that several of the headliners in UTC’s signing class are local players. Robinson was the Tennessee Mr. Football Division I-A Back of the Year, while Williams and Mayes earned Class 4A all-state honors.
“It already feels like home to me,” Robinson said. “I’ve been to several games there, I already knew some of the players there and I know a few of the guys signing today, so I was just real comfortable with the family feeling.
“That’s my home school, and I want to be there when we start putting the program back on the map.”
No local player was in the Mocs’ corner longer than Robinson, who committed to UTC back in June after moving to the top of the Mocs’ wish list at quarterback with a strong performance in a rising senior camp.
Players seldom commit to FCS teams so early, especially players of Robinson’s caliber who could have drawn interest from numerous bowl subdivision programs with a good final season. But he never wavered even though he might have to wait a while behind Coleman, who has two years of eligibility remaining.
“I want to learn from the coaches and from B.J.,” Robinson said, “and just go to work and get better so when it is my turn, I can step in and do my job.”