Defensive back Levonte Larry participates in football practice at UTC on Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Le’Vonte Larry made enough of a splash in his first fall with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program that the coaching staff looked for ways to get him on the field as a true freshman.
He ultimately redshirted, but that time put him in an even better position to contribute this year.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder from Jessup, Ga., currently is listed first on the depth chart at the dime (sixth defensive back) position, where he is slated to replace the graduating Sema’je Kendall, who departs with 36 games of starting experience.
Larry is competing with fellow freshmen Adrian King and Kerrington Wilson for the position.
“Le’Vonte has been coming along well,” said Rod West, who coaches cornerbacks and dimes. “The big thing for him is learning the plays. He has a lot of ability and we can do a lot of things with him. He’s athletic, tough, and normally the guy’s first spring is a big year for development. We’re giving him a chance to fly around because the more he knows and the more comfortable he is with the playbook, the faster he’ll play.
“We think he’s doing well so far, and we’re looking forward to his continued progress over the spring and the summer.”
The redshirt year learning behind Kendall was an invaluable experience for Larry, who continually made plays on the scout team.
“I’ve learned the playbook more,” he said. “I’m trying to play faster and go with the speed of the game and learning how to run to the ball better, take better angles and just develop. I feel like I bring competitiveness – anything to help the team. I just want to make plays, help the team, give the coaches a good impression of me and let them know they can count on me.
“I just want to get better.”
He said moving inside after playing corner for most of his life has been the biggest adjustment for him. Despite officially only seven starters returning on defense, Larry is the only player who hasn’t received extensive playing time as a Moc. That could be slightly overwhelming for a young player to look around and see so many experienced faces around him, but with his instinctive ability on the field as well as his size, West doesn’t see Larry being on that list.
“Our dime position has to be a jack of all trades,” West said, “so to have a guy that plays that instinctive is always a plus. I also think that Le’Vonte plays with a chip on his shoulder. I think he was a guy that was told he was too small for certain stuff, so he plays with a certain aggression that some guys lack.
“He’s able to compensate for his lack of size with just how he plays and his effort.”
In UTC’s first spring scrimmage this afternoon at Finley Stadium, Larry and the rest of the team will get to show what the returning players look like and how they’ve improved.
It’s an opportunity that not only Larry but head coach Russ Huesman is looking forward to.
“Le’Vonte has some football instincts about him,” Huesman said. “We’ll see Friday how physical he is, which will be fun to see. We liked him last fall, we tried to get him a little bit ready, but he knows how to play football.
“He’s going to play for us next year, and we’re pretty excited about where he is right now.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.