During spring practice two years ago, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team had five healthy offensive linemen.
The Mocs are in a much different situation this spring. Led by left tackle Chris Harr, a second-team All-Southern Conference selection, eight linemen started at least one game last season, and all of them are back. In addition, Nick Gipson, who started once as a freshman in 2008, is back practicing after sitting out last season with a knee injury.
Counting walk-ons, UTC has 15 offensive linemen on its spring roster, plus three tight ends.
“It’s definitely a lot better because you’re able to go 100 percent on every play,” Harr said. “New guys are getting reps, which is going to make the whole team better. It’s nice to be able to get a little break every once in a while, too.”
With all those linemen around, it’s a good thing UTC now has twice as many offensive line coaches. Russ Ehrenfeld coached the line by himself last season, but he’s now joined by Geep Wade, who was hired by coach Russ Huesman in January.
The decision to add an offensive line coach didn’t have anything to do with Ehrenfeld’s performance last season, Huesman said.
“He’s an excellent football coach,” Huesman said. “We did it because we thought it was in the best interests of the program.”
Ehrenfeld (guard) and Wade (center) are former UTC linemen. Ehrenfeld is coaching the centers and guards, while Wade, also UTC’s recruiting coordinator, is working with the tackles and tight ends. It’s been a very good partnership so far, said Ehrenfeld, who had never worked with another offensive line coach before.
“I think we complement each other,” Ehrenfeld said. “We both coach with a lot of energy, and neither one of us coach with our hands in our pockets. Obviously, who it benefits more than anybody are those kids, because they’re getting a ton of reps and they’re getting two sets of eyes looking at them constantly.
“I’ve enjoyed it, I really have.”
Wade has had to get to know his linemen since joining UTC’s staff; the offensive system he knows thoroughly, since he and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield put it together a few years ago when coaching at UT-Martin.
“I think we feel pretty good about our ones (starters). We’ve just got to build some depth,” Wade said. “We’ve also got to get the mentality that we can be a 200-yard rushing team. We can be one, and we’ve got to instill that mentality.”
Extra points
The Mocs practiced in full pads for more than two hours Friday at Finley Stadium. It was their fifth practice of the spring, and their worst, said Huesman, whose voice was almost gone afterward. “We had some dental work going on out here,” he said. “It was like pulling teeth to get them to go.” … UTC will conduct its first scrimmage of the spring drills at 2 p.m. today. Huesman said the Mocs will run about 80 plays.