At the end of his first spring practice as head coach of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team, Rusty Wright promised to keep working to build the Mocs' 2019 roster.
He kept that promise again Wednesday with the addition of three transfers from the Football Bowl Subdivision: Kam Jones from Louisville, Kayne Roberts from North Carolina and former Navy signee T.J. Cammack. Wright expects each of the players to make his mark for the Mocs on defense this season.
"We are very excited about Kam, Kayne and T.J. joining our program," Wright said in a UTC release. "They all three fill a need for us on defense and all are really good football players. I either recruited or knew about each of them coming out of high school and we anticipate each of them contributing immediately."
Jones, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound sophomore linebacker from Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, was a three-star prep prospect who was ranked as the No. 10 linebacker in Georgia by 247Sports.com in 2017 and the 28th-ranked inside linebacker in the nation.
Scout.com ranked Jones as the No. 4 linebacker in the state. He also had offers from Mississippi State, Northwestern and South Florida out of high school. He will have three years of eligibility with the Mocs.
Roberts (6-2, 220) was a two-way star in high school at Tennessee's Greenback. He appeared on special teams in each of North Carolina's 11 games this past season as a redshirt freshman. He was a two-star recruit as a running back after rushing for 2,200 yards and 37 touchdowns with 400 yards and five touchdowns receiving while helping lead Greenback to a state championship his senior season.
Roberts, who had 60 tackles, three interceptions and two blocked field goals as a senior, is expected to play linebacker for the Mocs and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Cammack, a 6-foot, 260-pound defensive tackle, spent last season at Navy Prep after winning two state titles at Georgia's Rome High School. A three-time all-region defensive lineman and two-star recruit for the Wolves, he has his full college eligibility remaining because he did not attend the Naval Academy.
Wright, a former UTC player who had two stints as an assistant for the Mocs, was hired to head the program in December 2018 after spending the past two seasons on staff at Georgia State, an FBS program.
The Football Championship Subdivision Mocs kick off their first season under Wright by hosting Eastern Illinois on Aug. 29. Their Southern Conference opener is also at Finley Stadium, against Western Carolina on Sept. 28 for homecoming.
Volleyball set
UTC volleyball coach Travis Filar has announced the program's 29-match schedule for 2019. The Mocs will host 11 matches inside Maclellan Gymnasium, including the annual Chattanooga Classic on Sept. 13-14.
The Mocs begin their Southern Conference schedule Sept. 25 at Samford, with their league home opener Oct. 3 against East Tennessee State University. Samford won the SoCon tournament last season after ETSU won the regular-season championship, and both the Bulldogs and the Buccaneers advanced to the NCAA tournament.
"I could not be more excited about how we grew as a program this past spring," Filar said in a UTC release. "The improvement on and off the court as a team was remarkable. We all believe that 2019 has a chance to be a special season. We're looking forward to getting to work in August."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.