Corey Levin’s first glimpse of a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team coached by Russ Huesman came on a recruiting visit. An unofficial one.
To Appalachian State, on Sept. 12, 2011.
“UTC probably should have won that game,” Levin said recently. And he’s probably right, as the Mocs defense held the Mountaineers without a touchdown, only to see the home team score on a fumble recovery and an interception return and win 14-12.
It wasn’t until about a month later that UTC began recruiting the 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive lineman from Dacula, Ga. The Mocs coaches eventually were able to sway him away from Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, the two former Southern Conference powers that have moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Levin was the second player to send in his signed UTC letter of intent in 2012. Defensive end Vantrel McMillan was the first. An hour and a half later came Keionta Davis’s paperwork, followed by defensive back Cedric Nettles, receiver C.J. Board and defensive back Nakevion Leslie.