Rusty Wright’s first signee as head coach for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was a kid he’d never actually met.
Now in their fifth season together, Wright and running back Ailym Ford are looking to take the next step by helping the Mocs win a Southern Conference championship or at least qualify for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. It’s a goal that’s seemingly been within reach for the past two seasons, and three if you count the condensed campaign in spring 2021.
If seasons ended in October, UTC would have made the playoffs the past two years. But two-game losing streaks to end each of those seasons have left many around the program — players, coaches, administrators and fans — frustrated.
After the 2022 season, Wright took inventory and stock of the entire program. He ultimately changed the process of getting players prepared, bumping spring practices up to February so that phase of the offseason would be done in early March, giving the team more time to get stronger and be better conditioned for the fall. The true test of that approach comes with the 2023 schedule, and the start just more than a week away for the Mocs, who will visit North Alabama for a 7 p.m. Eastern kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 2.
For a true answer on how it’s going, check back in November.