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UTC defense is expected to remain strong under Mike Yeager

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTC junior linebacker Alex Mitchell (2) goes through a drill at Scrappy Moore Field on Wednesday during the Mocs' first preseason practice of 2024. Mitchell led the team in tackles last season with 78 and is expected to play a big role again as Mike Yeager takes over as defensive coordinator. Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTC junior linebacker Alex Mitchell (2) goes through a drill at Scrappy Moore Field on Wednesday during the Mocs' first preseason practice of 2024. Mitchell led the team in tackles last season with 78 and is expected to play a big role again as Mike Yeager takes over as defensive coordinator.

By Gene Henley August 2, 2024 5 min read

When Lorenzo Ward left his position as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program’s defensive coordinator after the 2023 season, Rusty Wright didn’t have to look very far for a replacement.

Maybe just a few doors down.

It was there he would find Mike Yeager, the linebackers coach who, until last season, also happened to have more head coaching experience than Wright. From 2012 to 2017, Yeager was in the lead role at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, guiding the NCAA Division III program from losses in 19 of his first 23 games to a 19-11 mark over his final three seasons.

Prior to taking over at Carthage, Yeager was the team’s defensive coordinator. He also had stints at that post at two programs in Ohio — Division III Wooster (2003-04) and Division II Tiffin (2018) — before joining the UTC staff in 2019 ahead of former Mocs player and assistant Wright’s first season as head coach.

So “UTC defensive coordinator” is a title he’s more than prepared for.