The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program picked up three commitments the final weekend before national signing day.
Aside from mammoth 6-foot-8, 300-pound Central offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, the Mocs also received nonbinding pledges from D.J. Jackson and C.J. Winston.
The trio gives the Mocs 20 high school commitments for the 2017 signing class, the first under new coach Tom Arth. One of those commitments, Bearden offensive lineman Dakota Davis, graduated in December and already is on campus. Also on campus is Mississippi State transfer Nick Tiano, a former Baylor School quarterback who will have three years with the program.
Jackson – a 6-2, 185-pound dual-threat athlete from Fort White, Fla. – is expected to play safety. He earned first-team all-state honors this past season as he threw for 1,392 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 228 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. On defense, he had five interceptions – two of which he returned for touchdowns – eight passes defended and 48 tackles.
Winston, a 6-4, 185-pounder who prepped at Gadsden City in Alabama, chose the Mocs over a Football Bowl Subdivision offer from Troy and offers from Furman, Mercer, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech. He is expected to play outside linebacker after earning honorable mention for the all-Etowah County team.