There’s something to be said about the process of becoming a successful group.
The eight fifth-year seniors for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team know all about that process and the rise of a program.
Nine seniors will play their final regular-season home game Saturday at Finley Stadium, in what could be the biggest game of their respective careers. UTC’s Mocs, ranked eighth in one national poll and ninth in another, host The Citadel, ranked 20th and 21st, at 2 p.m. on Military Appreciation Day.
Of the nine, only cornerback Jeremiah Hay didn’t enroll originally at UTC. His college career started at Ole Miss and detoured to Pasadena City College in California before he became the first junior college signee for Mocs coach Russ Huesman. The other eight were around through the entire process, although their redshirt seasons came at different times.
Defensive tackle Josh Freeman made the Southern Conference’s all-freshman team in 2011 but sat out the following season. Offensive lineman Brandon Morgan started eight games in 2011, but a shoulder injury caused him to sit out the following year.