The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was picked to finish fourth this season in a vote of Southern Conference football coaches at the league’s annual media gathering Monday in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Mocs also placed six players on the preseason all-conference teams, including four first-team selections, tying East Tennessee State for the most.
UTC junior wide receiver Bryce Nunnelly, senior linebacker Marshall Cooper and junior defensive backs Jerrell Lawson and Brandon Dowdell were voted to the first team, while offensive lineman Cole Strange and running back Tyrell Price were voted to the second team.
Two-time defending SoCon champion Wofford received seven of the nine coaches’ first-place votes to earn the top preseason spot, followed by Furman and ETSU, each with one first. The Mocs were next, with Mercer, Samford, The Citadel, Western Carolina and VMI rounding out the predicted finish.
“It’s about where I thought we would end up, with this being my first year taking over a group that was 6-5,” UTC coach Rusty Wright said. “Being two years removed from the league, it’s kind of hard to tell where the league is talent wise. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Coaches also voted Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams as the league’s preseason offensive player of the year, with ETSU defensive lineman Nasir Player projected as the defensive player of the year.