A look at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's football signees:
DB D.J. Adams (6-2, 165) Cleveland -- Adams saved his best season for his last, averaging 21.6 yards per catch on 28 receptions with seven touchdowns...he also had three interceptions and three fumble recoveries on defense...He had a four-touchdown performance against East Ridge with three receiving scores as well as an 80-yard kickoff return...He also plays basketball and runs track.
QB Chase Artopoeus (6-1, 195) Orcutt, Calif. -- The UCLA transfer has two years of eligibility after being named the Bruins' Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year in 2021...He prepped at Saint Joseph High School in California, where the former two-star prospect threw for 2,610 yards and 26 touchdowns with just one interception while rushing for 300 yards and five more scores...He played two seasons at Thousand Oaks High School in Calfornia, totaling more than 5,300 yards of total offense.
(READ MORE: Mocs add 16 signees, turn attention to keeping roster intact)
DB Martez Cooksey, Jr. (5-10, 175) Antioch -- The former Ensworth standout played free safety and running back for the Tigers and finished with 55 tackles and a pair of sacks and two pass breakups...he was an All-Region performer who chose the Mocs over Middle Tennessee State and Samford.
P Clayton Crile (6-2, 218) Duncan, S.C. -- Crile was a Division II First Team All-American in 2021 at Catawba who comes to UTC with one year of eligibility remaining. He averaged 45.5 yards per punt over his career and had 65% of his kickoffs go for touchbacks. He averaged 47.6 yards per punt in 2021.
OL Almarion Crim (6-3, 310) Birmingham, Ala. -- The Houston transfer was a three-star prospect in high school who joins the Mocs with three seasons of eligibility remaining. He'll likely play an interior position for UTC, his second stop after initially choosing Houston over Air Force, Army, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Tulsa and USF.
OL Aidan Donald (6-4, 240) Lebanon -- The all-region tackle helped the Blue Devils to a 20-5 mark in his final two seasons...he also plays basketball, taking after his father who played collegiately at Auburn-Montgomery, and chose the Mocs over offers from USF and East Tennessee State.
DB Clay Fields III (5-11, 220) Somerset, N.J. -- The Marist graduate transfer was a Football Championship Subdivision All-American safety in 2021 and two-time first-team all-Patriot League selection...he finished with 132 tackles in his final two seasons, with seven interceptions, 16 passes defended and a touchdown...also returned kicks and punts, taking one punt back 89 yards for a score in 2022.
DL Isaiah Harvey (6-0, 240) Warner Robins, Ga. -- A first-team all-region lineman who finished with 66 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery...he earned second-team region honors as a junior...also plays soccer and was the Georgia Region 1-5A goalkeeper of the year as a junior.
RB Malachi Jeffries (5-11, 215) Cartersville, Ga. -- Jeffries was named region player of the year in 2022 after rushing for 1,387 yards and 20 scores...he finished his career with 38 touchdowns, 35 on the ground and three receiving.
DL Jamarr Jones (6-2, 250) Hendersonville -- Jones got an offer from West Virginia the same week he committed to UTC and ultimately chose to sign with the in-state program over opportunities to play at WVU as well as Georgia Tech. He was an all-region performer who finished his career with 16.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, and had a 24-yard touchdown catch as a junior.
K Jude Kelley (6-1, 178) Acworth, Ga. -- A Georgia Tech transfer with two years of eligibility remaining...he was named the Chris Sailor National Kicker of the Year as a senior in high school, and connected on a 32-yard game-winning field goal when the Yellow Jackets defeated Florida State in 2021...was 5-for-5 on onside kick attempts over his time at Georgia Tech.
OL Griffin McDowell (6-4, 288) Leesburg, Ga. -- McDowell comes with one season remaining after spending his career at Florida, where he played offensive line, defensive line and tight end as well as special teams...the former three-star prospect chose the Gators over Mississippi State and brings 40 games of experience with him.
TE Dalton Restelli (6-5, 235) Chattanooga -- Restelli was an all-region performer for Division II-AAA state champion Baylor, moving from receiver to tight end his senior season...chose the Mocs over offers from Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and Austin Peay.
LB Zion Rutledge (6-0, 215) Powder Springs, Ga. -- Rutledge was the Cobb County Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, averaging 14.5 tackles per game with 3.5 sacks and totaling 308 tackles in 23 career games played...also won the Georgia Class 7A state wrestling title at 220 pounds and chose the Mocs over offers from Penn, Columbia and Wofford among others.
DL E.J. Thomas (6-2, 290) Pritchard, Ala. -- Thomas was a first-team All-American defensive lineman at Contra Costa Community College, totaling 13 tackles for loss with five sacks, two fumble recoveries -- one of which he returned for a score -- and a forced fumble in 10 games.
WR Zaire Thornton (6-2, 180) Atlanta, Ga. -- Thornton was a second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection at Tennessee State in 2021, with 398 yards receiving on 26 catches, and comes to UTC with two seasons of eligibility remaining. The former three-star prospect chose the Mocs over offers from McNeese State and UT-Martin after holding eight offers coming out of high school.
— Compiled by Gene Henley
Staff file Photo by Robin Rudd / Cleveland defensive back DJ Adams (6) signed with UTC on Wednesday.