With preseason football practice starting soon for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Times Free Press is taking a daily positional look at the Mocs, with today's preview at defensive back:
Who's back
The Mocs return their entire secondary intact from a year ago, which is paced by two-time All-Southern Conference safety Brandon Dowdell, who enters his final UTC season with career totals of five interceptions, 18 passes defended and a forced fumble. Alongside him is safety Jerrell Lawson, who has 28 starts in his career and scored a touchdown in 2018. The corners have been manned by senior Jordan Jones, a former walk-on, and CaMiron Smith, who combined for three interceptions and 16 passes defended a year ago. Safety D.J. Jackson has 14 career starts, while sophomore cornerback Kameron Brown logged a pair of starts a year ago. It's an experienced group.
Who's new
The highlight of the class is D.J. Brown, who transferred from Penn State with a couple of seasons of eligibility remaining. The coaching staff brought in two freshmen in Reuben Lowery and Jordan Walker, who it would appear would be more likely to redshirt due to the experience returning.
Strengths
Experience. Each player in the secondary has at least one season starting with the group. Combine that with the wealth of knowledge from defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, an experienced secondary coach, and the defensive backfield could be the most talented position group for a unit with a lot of pieces returning in 2020.
Weaknesses
There really isn't one. Unlike the defensive line and linebackers, the secondary has a combination of talent and experience that could make it one of the best in the SoCon in 2020.
Rescheduled season opener
UTC announced Tuesday that it has rescheduled its season opener against Western Kentucky for later in the season, making its Sept. 12 contest at James Madison its new start to the year.
The Mocs were supposed to travel to face the Football Bowl Subdivision's Hilltoppers of Conference USA on Sept. 3. The SoCon is expected to announce its plan for the 2020 football season later this week.
The new date and time will be announced in coming weeks.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.