On defense for the Chattanooga football Mocs, Joshua Phillips listens to instruction during practice at Scrappy Moore Field.With 47 letter winners returning from last year, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team entered preseason camp with the focus of bringing along some of the younger players and honing the skills of some of those returners.
The depth chart is starting to take shape, with not a ton of turnover from last year. Yet a number of new players have made their presence felt in the first week of practice.
Today, the Times Free Press looks at five players on offense and five on defense who have stood out so far:
Offense
* Bailey Lenoir, sophomore tight end: Lenoir is in his third season with the program but redshirted in 2014 and spent last season mired deep in the rotation. The East Hamilton graduate had a solid spring and is currently in a position battle with junior Malcolm Colvin, but with Lenoir’s ability to catch passes he could wind up being a reliable target for the Mocs.
* Chris Miller, freshman running back: Miller continues to receive a lot of repetitions despite being deep in a running back rotation that returns all of its pieces. The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder has shown the ability to become slippery in the open field and could find his way onto a special-teams unit.
* Zach Pfeifer, freshman wide receiver: Chances are, Pfeifer won’t contribute to the team for a couple of seasons. He was a late addition to the program after a solid prep career at Father Ryan – where he played quarterback – but has had his share of moments in practice, including a nice one-handed catch along the sideline while fending off a defender during Monday’s practice.
* Zach Weatherly, freshman quarterback: Weatherly’s time isn’t expected to come before the 2018 season, when the Mocs lose Alejandro Bennifield and Tyler Roberson. But the highly touted signal caller from Christ Presbyterian Academy with a solid pedigree (his father Jim earned All-America honorable mention at Ole Miss) has shown prowess in the first week with his mobility as well as his arm.
* Malcolm White, freshman offensive lineman: White, who looks even much taller than his listed 6-6, was the leader at the left tackle position going into spring camp and has maintained that spot through the spring and summer. He carries his 300 pounds well and has continued to improve, especially having to block the likes of preseason All-American Keionta Davis and preseason All-Southern Conference selection Vantrel McMillan every day in practice.
Defense
* Khayyan Edwards, freshman defensive lineman: Perhaps no Moc transformed his body from one season to the next as much as Edwards, who has added 20 pounds of muscle and went into spring practice with a chiseled, powerful frame. He’s currently in a battle with Middle Tennessee State basketball transfer Joshua Phillips for the backup defensive end spot behind Davis, and he continues to work and improve.
* Rashun Freeman, freshman defensive back: The Ooltewah graduate walked on campus with an ability to be a playmaker on both sides of the ball from his prep days, but he fell into a good situation at the dime position (extra defensive back) with some recent personnel losses in the secondary. He’s been practicing with the second team behind Trevor Wright and could find some opportunities to play.
* Derek Mahaffey, sophomore defensive lineman: Mahaffey will surprise people. He moves extremely well with his 6-2, 305-pound frame and at times has been able to carve out space in the middle of the defensive line. He’ll never be mistaken for Bennifield – who shares the No. 15 with Mahaffey – but he will have a chance to be almost as impactful with the time he’s able to earn at the defensive tackle position.
* Joshua Phillips, junior defensive lineman: The 6-8, 230-pound Phillips spent three seasons playing basketball at MTSU and practiced with the Blue Raiders football team in the spring before deciding to head to Chattanooga this summer. His brother Jacob, a senior in Nashville, is the top linebacker prospect in the state of Tennessee with a final-five college list that includes Alabama and LSU, and Joshua has shown some football ability with his size and length as he battles Edwards for the fourth defensive end spot. He also could play some on special teams.
* D.J. Williams, freshman defensive back: The UTC coaches were focused on bringing Williams along to potentially be a solid No. 2 during spring practice, which they did. However, losses in the secondary have somewhat sped up that process, with a vacant cornerback spot being the result. The 5-10, 175-pounder competes, and as one coach said, “It’s important to him,” which gives him the opportunity to get thrust right into competition this season.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/ genehenleytfp.