There isn't much clarity as to where Ty Boeck could end up as he pursues professional football opportunities.
But there certainly are possibilities, whether you're talking about the potential league or his place on the field.
NFL. XFL. CFL. Defense, where the recent University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout from Soddy-Daisy was a standout linebacker and four-time All-Southern Conference selection, twice as a first-team pick. Or perhaps offense, with some scouts suggesting the 6-foot-1, 229-pounder could land at fullback for his pro career.
(It's been a while, but Boeck did play on offense in high school, compiling 1,355 yards and 20 touchdowns as a quarterback and running back in his 2017 senior season at Soddy-Daisy.)
So as he seeks to extend his playing days, Boeck will be able to offer pro teams options because of his skills — and, along with a number of other former Mocs, he put those skills to the test Friday on Scrappy Moore Field at UTC's pro day.
Some of those who returned to the school's practice field had spent more time there as UTC football players than others, including Boeck, who never redshirted as he appeared in 37 games (26 starts) but played five college seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic hitting halfway through his time with the Mocs.
Meanwhile, defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell (47 games, 42 starts) and offensive lineman McClendon Curtis (49 games, 38 starts), a former prep standout at Central, were at UTC for six seasons, with both redshirting in 2017. Maxwell, who was listed at 6-3, 296 on the 2022 roster, and Curtis, listed at 6-6, 328, both took part in all-star senior games after the season, and Curtis was also at the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis in early March.
The experienced group of Mocs won 19 games over their final three seasons but never did get to experience the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs despite coming close the past two years. Their UTC farewell on the playing field was a 32-29 loss at Western Carolina in the regular-season finale this past November.
Friday offered a different type of opportunity to represent the Mocs and themselves.
"You go through the season and all that, and then it still hits you at the end like, 'Oh damn, it's over,' Boeck said. "It was nice, being able to come out here a couple of months after the season once you settle down and kind of recognize what you need to do, what everybody's plans are and how you're going to attack it.
"You're telling yourself to not be nervous. You just want to calm down, take deep breaths, and you still get out there and you're still tight, so it's just battling that and finding a way to relax, but I was confident in my preparation. I knew the only way I was going to come out here and do the best I could do was to have fun with it and recognize it's maybe one of the last times I'll be with this group of guys again, so I just enjoyed it and lived in the moment."
Boeck finished with 28 repetitions on the bench press, which would have placed him second among the linebackers at this year's NFL combine, behind only Auburn's Owen Pappoe (29).
"When you come out here, it's pretty tough, and a lot of scouts have already built a profile on the guys that they know of," Boeck said, adding that pro days are basically a "validation process" for scouting. "They know what you can do on the football field, they've just got to get the testing results and be able to bring it to their general manager and stuff like that.
"I feel like it's one of those situations where, I'm not trying to sound arrogant or anything, but I have proven myself and I've just got to come out here and run fast."
Boeck finished his Mocs career with 325 tackles, sixth all-time at UTC, along with six sacks, three interceptions and a touchdown — which he scored after a teammate blocked a punt in a 41-14 win over North Alabama on Sept. 17, 2022.
Now he and UTC's other pro hopefuls will wait for the NFL draft, which begins April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.