K.J. Roper is used to winning. A lot. That’s one of the biggest reason the Knoxville Fulton senior chose to commit to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team Saturday.
Roper, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety and wide receiver, helped the Falcons claim three consecutive Class 4A state championships and ended his prep football career on a 30-game win streak.
“The way they’re playing and winning, I want to be a part of that,” Roper said. “I like all the coaches and other guys I’ve met, and it just felt like home to me. This is the best place for me. It’s a good fit, and plus, it is closer to home and that’s a big deal, too.”
A three-year starter, Roper is the fifth high school commitment for the Mocs, along with three transfers from other universities, for this year’s signing class. He chose UTC over offers from East Tennessee State and Western Carolina.
Roper’s size, athletic ability and fondness for delivering big hits makes him a good fit for the hybrid safety/outside linebacker position in UTC’s defense.
“He’s a really good athlete who could play any number of places for them,” Fulton coach Rob Black said. “We could see as a freshman that he had a lot of ability, but he’s a guy who worked to make himself a college player.
“He already has the body of a college safety, but he could bulk up to play linebacker. He’s got good speed and likes to hit, but as good a player as he is, he’s an even better kid, so he’ll fit in well.”
Two Mocs honored
UTC senior punter Nick Pollard and senior defensive end Davis Tull were among 50 players named to the FCS Athletic Directors Association’s academic all-star team Saturday. They were the only two players from the Southern Conference to be honored.
Each of the nominees was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 and must have participated in at least 50 percent of his team’s games.
Pollard earned a degree in criminal justice before the 2014 season and is currently working on a naster’s in business administration. He had a 3.69 overall GPA and a 4.0 during the fall semester. On the field he was a first-team All-SoCon punter and finished with a 41.7 yard average.
Tull is a three-time SoCon defensive player of the year and a two-time Academic All-American. He graduated in December with a degree in health and human performance with a 3.52 overall GPA. This is his second appearance on the FCS academic all-star team.
Prior to the arrival of head coach Russ Huesman in 2009, the Mocs had only one individual make the FCS academic all-star in school history. But since that time UTC has had five named to the team a total of eight times.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.