It's hard to tell who was happier about Jeremiah Batiste's decision to leave Miami University in Ohio and transfer to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: Batiste himself or his mother, Sharelle Washington.
Call it a push?
It's a benefit for Washington because she no longer has to make the six-hour drive from Chattanooga — through Knoxville, through Lexington, Kentucky, and through Cincinnati — to the Mid-American Conference school. But it benefits Batiste as well, with the former Tyner standout back in a more familiar place and ready to begin his time with the Mocs.
"It's my homecoming," Batiste said Wednesday evening as the traditional national signing day wrapped up. "That's how I feel about it: Why not go back and help? They were one of the first schools to offer me coming out of high school, so let me repay that. I know it's going to come with hard work; I'm not looking for any handouts.
"I'm looking to work."
The 5-foot-11, 176-pound Batiste was a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen selection in 2019 as one of the area's top college prospects heading into that season, and he followed through on his commitment to Miami when he signed with the program in Oxford, Ohio.
He played in eight games during a three-year career with the Redhawks, making one catch for five yards in 2021. He'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining at UTC, where he'll make his way back to the other side of the ball with a move to defensive back.
He is one of six defensive back signees to join the Mocs for the 2023 signing cycle, counting both the early period in December and Wednesday, and all of them have a chance to play next season because the secondary was not a strong point for UTC in 2022. Among that group is a former Football Championship Subdivision All-American in safety Clay Fields III as well as Cleveland all-state honoree D.J. Adams.
They'll join 2022 All-Southern Conference selection Kam Brown in a battle for opportunities to get on the field.
"I'm going to enjoy this battle a lot, because I feel like we can all learn from each other, from the young guys to the older guys," Batiste said. "It's not going to be a hard transition for me because I feel like I'm already a ball hawk.
"It's going to take a couple of things for me to tweak on the defensive side, but overall I know that I'm a pure athlete."
The Mocs signed a total of 23 players for 2023: 16 from the December signing period; three mid-year transfers in Batiste, Liberty offensive lineman Will Buchanan (6-5, 326) and Mississippi Valley State defensive lineman Chris Victor (6-3, 220); and four new players Wednesday in defensive backs Kam Baah-Slay (6-2, 190) and Christian Harris (5-10, 160), receiver A.J. Little (6-0, 170) and offensive lineman Lukas Majer (6-4, 295).
Batiste is the only area addition since December, and he's excited about what lies ahead at UTC.
"There's going to be trials and tribulations within this process, so I'm just ready to go to work," he said. "I'm going to get better, work on my craft as a cornerback and be able to help the team in any way I can.
"This is a family here, and I feel like I can grow more here. When you're somewhere you're comfortable, you can grow, and that's something I'm excited about as well."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.