Three reasons for optimism
1. Running game: It was just four seasons ago that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Some of that stemmed from the offensive staff’s hesitation to put any real pressure on the quarterbacks while also leaning on senior running backs Tyrell Price and sophomore Ailym Ford, who combined for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns. There’s a belief that the quarterback situation is better this season — both senior Camden Orth and junior Luke Schomburg have played in and performed well in big games in their collegiate careers — but neither has exactly distanced himself from the other in the competition. Couple that with some inexperience at receiver and a trio of talented running backs in Justus Durant, Ryan Ingram and Journey Wyche and, early on, it could be the running backs that the offense leans on.
2. Overall defense: Even with 10 new starters, the group has the potential to be good because UTC has done a good job of recruiting out of the high school ranks. Jamarr Jones and Montrell Henderson will take up a lot of space up front. Zion Rutledge and Amanuel Dickson seem primed for solid campaigns at linebacker, and Kam Baah-Slay is a budding star in the secondary. When you sprinkle in new players such as edge rusher Orlando Daniels, nickel Nick Coates and safety Kaelin Drakeford — transfers in line to start — you have the potential for a really elite defense. Former area prep standout Jeremiah Batiste and 2024 initial starter Taylor Smallwood, whose injury early on paved the way for Batiste to get on the field, can man the corners, and there probably isn’t much chance the defense will take a step back from last season, despite the attrition.
3. The unknown: Who knows, right? This is a group that is budding with potential because there is probably the same amount of talent this season as there was last. The names aren’t the same as they were, and the early schedule offers no favors, but the four-game nonconference gauntlet to start the season (road games against Memphis, Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State and a home game against Stetson) will do a lot to help the Mocs figure out exactly who they are and what they do well, right in time to begin competition in the Southern Conference, a league that is one of if not the most unpredictable in the Football Championship Subdivision. Since the Mocs shared the 2025 SoCon title with The Citadel, seven programs have earned at least a share of the championship. Why not UTC this time around?
Three reasons for concern
1. The schedule: Oh, that schedule. For a team that doesn’t know an awful lot about itself, playing at Football Bowl Subdivision member Memphis, at ranked Tennessee Tech and at ranked Tarleton State is a rough way to start things. It can show you a lot about yourselves as a group, but if the team gets off to a 1-3 start, it may be too much to overcome for a potential playoff bid. Need evidence? Just look at last season, where a similar schedule (two FBS teams and eventual SoCon champ Mercer, which went to the FCS quarterfinals) in the first four games was too much to overcome despite UTC winning seven of its final nine. Either UTC needs to figure out how to go 2-2 in the nonconference slate or find a way to win the league, or an at-large avenue into the playoffs appears unlikely.
2. Defensive front: While the back seven are a cause for a lot of excitement, there are some concerns as to who replaces former multiyear starters Marlon Taylor and Quay Wiggles. No one up front has played a meaningful snap for the Moc with the exceptions of senior Marquise Freeman on the edge and perhaps Jones, who has been more of a third-down specialist in his time. Defensive ends coach Tyrus Ward likened the preseason to that of the 2021 campaign, when not much was known about guys such as Jay Person and Ben Brewton, and Person went on to being named a two-time SoCon defensive player of the year, while Brewton was a multitime all-conference player. It wasn’t known those guys were as good as they were until they proved it, and this is a new group of guys’ chance to do so.
3. Unknown: It can be both. The last time there was this level of uncertainty around the program was probably the 2017 season, when Tom Arth took over as head coach for Russ Huesman, and things didn’t go well that year (3-8, the first losing season since 2011; there hasn’t been one since). Rusty Wright’s teams always play hard, and they ultimately win more than they lose — it’s just going to be a more difficult path because it’s going to take a while to figure out the identity of this group once it goes against teams other than itself in practice.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.