It was viewed as an elite pull by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coaches when Demetrius Coleman was announced as a signee for the Mocs in February 2021.
Coleman was an all-state quarterback and point guard at Georgia’s Callaway High School, and at that time he was fresh off leading the Cavaliers to the GHSA Class AA football title, the first state championship in program history. He had been viewed as a high-level college prospect from the moment he received an offer from Mississippi State in October of his freshman year, and along the way Coleman also received offers from Alabama, Louisville, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Those offers seemed to fade after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived the spring ahead of his senior season, but UTC came in, swooped Coleman up and moved him over to defense at cornerback. After redshirting his first year, Coleman thought he would be able to complete for playing time in 2022, but instead he spent last fall learning his new position after a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum caused him to sit out the season.
Coleman would walk around Scrappy Moore Field, watching as his teammates practiced. Not being able to contribute was frustrating, but he harkened back to advice given to him by his father Kenny, who played at Georgia College and Valdosta State.
“He just told me to learn. Learn every day,” Coleman said. “Don’t get too high; don’t get too discouraged. I stuck with that all the way up to now, and it’s helped me a lot.”
Finally healthy, Coleman has started learning on the job for the Mocs (1-1) in the spot opposite senior Kam Brown, a preseason All-American. And week by week, the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder is starting to remind people why he was so highly sought during his high school career.
The Mocs, coming off a 27-20 win over Kennesaw State at Finley Stadium, are home again this week as The Citadel (0-2) visits at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
“He’s growing. That’s the thing, he’ll continue to get better,” UTC coach Rusty Wright said. “He had one bust Saturday that led to a touchdown, which we’ve got to get out of, but it’s important to him. He was a high school quarterback, so he’s literally playing corner for the first time in his life, and he’ll continue to get better because he’s a smart guy and he’s not scared, and those are things you want a good corner to be.
“He’ll continue to get better. He takes coaching and he works at it.”
Coleman said he came into college wanting to play defense, so he embraced the challenge. And it’s showing: Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward — the coach who first made contact with Coleman in the recruitment process — called him the “best technique guy” at cornerback. There are physical things he will have to continue to improve on, but where Coleman has grown the most is in the mental aspect of the position.
After all, he’s seeing a lot of stuff for the first time.
“I’ve learned so much,” he said. “Just lining up against different receivers, learning the different defenses, picking up on keys from the offense. It’s been a lot of picking up on being a better football player mentally; the game is 90% mental.
“It’s really the hardest part, the challenging part. You’ve got to go to film (study) every day and talk with your coaches every day, and I think that’s what’s helped me the most.”
Secondary success
As the Mocs prepare to play eight SoCon games in eight weeks, they’ll do so off a strong defensive performance against a nonconference foe and with a league honor in tow for one member of that unit.
UTC safety Jordan Walker, a 6-1, 192-pound sophomore, was named the SoCon’s defensive player of the week for his 11-tackle performance against Kennesaw State. The first sack of his Mocs career was among two tackles for loss for Walker, who had 1.5 tackles for loss all of last season and the same amount in the season opener at North Alabama.
A regular on the athletic director’s honor roll and the dean’s list for his academic success, Walker started eight of 10 games last season, and last Saturday he helped the Mocs become the first team ever to hold Kennesaw State to a scoreless first half. The Owls were also held to 102 rushing yards for the game, their fewest in program history.
In a UTC release announcing the honor, Wright said Walker “has grown a lot since he’s been here,” and the coach also noted the defense’s overall progress from the first game to the second.
“Eyes were better, discipline was better, fundamentals were better,” Wright said. “That gives you the opportunity to play good defense.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.