After five years at Eastern Michigan, Preston Hutchinson wasn't sure where he would end up when he put his name in the NCAA transfer portal last December.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound quarterback had options that would keep him in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
There was an offer from James Madison, which had established itself as a Football Championship Subdivision power and was moving to the FBS this year, but the Dukes had already brought in two other transfer quarterbacks. Then there was Troy — like James Madison, a Sun Belt Conference program — but Hutchinson was ready to transfer immediately, and new head coach Jon Sumrall was still the co-defensive coordinator at Kentucky, leaving the roster much less defined for the Trojans.
Hutchinson, who had already graduated with a degree in marketing, could also remain with the Eagles. He had been named team MVP after their six-game 2020 season in which he threw for 1,662 yards, rushed for 206 yards and accounted for 20 touchdowns. After going 2-4 against that all-Mid American Conference schedule, though, the Eagles brought in Cincinnati transfer Ben Bryant.
Hutchinson said he "outplayed" the former Bearcat last year during spring practices and preseason camp, but Bryant was named the starter. Bryant returned to Cincinnati after the Eagles finished the season 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the MAC, but by then Hutchinson decided he was going to "start a new chapter regardless."
And then there was the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which seemed like a perfect fit. After arriving at UTC in January, he made a promise to himself.
"I was going to do me and I was going to act like myself, regardless of the place I went or the situation I was in, and I feel like I've done that," Hutchinson said recently. "There's been moments in the past where I wasn't me, and I regret those moments, so I was going to not have any regrets this season."
He wasted no time getting acclimated to the program and building a rapport with his new teammates. He also entered immediately into a competition with fellow senior Cole Copeland, who was 6-3 while starting nine of UTC's 11 games last season and has two career wins against nationally ranked opponents. Copeland had the advantage of multiple years in the program, but it was Hutchinson who did enough over the spring and summer to be named the starter.
How? He was just himself.
"He's not a shy person," running back Gino Appleberry said. "You can tell when he walked through that door, it was like, 'Yeah, he's meant to be here.' He walked right in and competed He didn't expect to just win the opportunity; he worked for it. He came to practice every day, just like us. He was at every workout, he didn't miss anything, and he fit right in."
With a pair of starts behind him, Hutchinson has helped the Mocs open 2-0 for the first time since 2018, which has boosted their position in the polls — they're ranked ninth by FCS coaches and 10th in the Stats Perform Top 25 — heading into a homecoming matchup against ASUN opponent North Alabama (1-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium.
Hutchinson has completed 62% of his passes for 449 yards and two touchdowns, and he has rushed for 70 yards and two scores. His combined 342 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday's win at Eastern Illinois led to him being named player of the week by the Southern Conference and the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.
"Talking to him in the locker room, you can see that he can take over the offense and take over and lead a team," UTC edge rusher Jay Person said. "He's somebody that you can hang around outside of football. He fits in with any type of crowd, he can run around with any race, it doesn't matter. He's just one of those guys — he's a cool, all-around dude."
During a 7-on-7 portion of a recent practice, Hutchinson dropped back and flung a 40-yard touchdown pass to freshman Javon Burke. Then the quarterback ran around, chest-bumping and high-fiving teammates as he celebrated a successful play, the result of all the hard work on both football and building relationships with guys Hutchinson didn't know at this time last year.
"It happened naturally in a way, but I also had to get on these guys and tell them that we can't have fun until we prepare the right way," Hutchinson said. "One of my favorite quotes is that 'In moments of pressure, you default to your level of training,' and I just explained to the guys that we have to prepare 100% in this offseason so when we get to those moments of pressure, we can have fun.
"Fun doesn't come by surprise, it comes from a lot of hours put in. I naturally want to prepare, but I also made it a point to prepare. Now I'm just grateful for this situation. I feel like God really worked his magic on getting me here, and it just feels right. I'm embracing it to the fullest and I'm not looking back."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.