As previously reported, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program lost a lot of players — 48 to be specific, with half of those entering the NCAA transfer portal — after going 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference play last year while missing the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The portal goes both ways, though, and the Mocs will be putting a completely revamped roster to the test when they open their 2025 schedule on Aug. 30 at Memphis, which competes in the higher-tier Football Bowl Subdivision and the American Conference. That game will also kick off Rusty Wright’s seventh season as head coach at his alma mater, a tenure in which the Mocs have never had a losing record at year’s end.
UTC added five transfers in the February signing period (not counting receiver Shamar Sandgren, who left the program after a few spring practices) and the Mocs have tacked on more since — including former South Pittsburg standout A.J. Wallace — to bring their total number of transfer additions to 23.
Here is a list of all 18 additions after the February signees.
Therion Cannon: The 6-foot-2, 271-pound offensive lineman has played three games in his collegiate career, all in the past two seasons while at Western Carolina, a SoCon rival for the Mocs. Now a senior, he spent his first two college seasons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, an FBS member.
Tre’von Dangerfield: A 6-2, 188-pound sophomore cornerback from Pulaski, Tennessee, he is also an in-state transfer. Dangerfield had 26 tackles and totaled 94 return yards on five kickoffs as a redshirt freshman last year at Cumberland University, an NAIA program in Lebanon.
Orlando Daniels: The 6-5, 235-pound defensive end totaled 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in two seasons at Albion College, an NCAA Division III program in Michigan. After entering the portal, he was committed to FBS member Arkansas State before flipping to UTC.
Jordan Davis: The 6-2, 194-pound defensive back from Columbia, Tennessee, comes to the Mocs with four seasons of eligibility remaining after playing in FBS member Ball State’s final four games of 2024 and recording one tackle.
Dazmon Galloway: The 6-1, 312-pound offensive lineman has two seasons of eligibility after transferring from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, an FBS program. He didn’t play in 2024, his lone season with the Warhawks after joining them as a two-year starter from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Khari Gee: A four-star prospect coming out of Atlanta’s Woodward Academy in 2022, the 6-2, 191-pound defensive back has two seasons of eligibility remaining after stops at a pair of FBS programs: powerful independent Notre Dame (he redshirted as a freshman after making no appearances for the Fighting Irish) and Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech. In two seasons with his hometown Yellow Jackets, he appeared in 14 games (two starts) and totaled eight tackles.
Jonathan Harris Jr: The 5-10, 186-pound defensive back from Indianapolis transferred from Taylor University, an NAIA program in his home state, where he played in 22 games in two seasons and recorded 12 pass breakups and 45 tackles.
Jonathan Hunter-Horton: The 6-1, 210-pound linebacker is already quite familiar with the SoCon. Hunter-Horton comes to UTC as a graduate transfer from fellow league program Virginia Military Institute, and he has one year of eligibility left after logging 18 tackles in four seasons with the Keydets.
Ryan Ingram: The 5-11, 215-pound Wofford transfer is tasked with replacing Reggie Davis, who transferred to Alcorn State, and Ingram is built for the job. He was one of the most productive running backs in the SoCon the past two seasons, leading the Terriers in touchdowns each year. He has 2,020 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in his collegiate career, and he joined the Mocs in time to take part in some of their spring practices.
Keyshawn Jackson: The 6-3, 189-pounder from Charlotte, North Carolina, made 11 appearances for FBS member East Carolina last season as a freshman, and he should further solidify the defensive backfield for the Mocs.
Joseph Kallies: The 6-foot, 328-pound offensive lineman was a junior-college All-American in his only season at Iowa Central Community College and has three years of eligibility remaining.
TJ McElmurray: The 6-3, 177-pound receiver played in four games at Kennesaw State in 2023 before redshirting last season at Iowa Central. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining and a chance to step in and compete immediately at a position where the Mocs are in great need.
Markell Quick: The 5-10, 165-pound speedster averaged 20.3 yards on 26 catches for North Carolina Central in 2024, and he will be a welcome addition to the rebuilt receiver corps.
Anton Ricumstrict: The 6-4, 225-pound defensive end comes to UTC after three seasons at Delaware State. He recorded 21 tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hurry for the Hornets in 2024.
Jamarii Robinson: Another addition to the receiver room, the 6-1, 187-pounder sat out last season after a productive 2023 campaign at Northern Colorado (490 receiving yards, two touchdowns). He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Jacoby Sharpe: The 6-1, 301-pound defensive lineman is a seventh-year senior with 31 college games on his resumé after spending four seasons at FBS member Temple and the past two at FCS program Hampton.
Hunter Teal: The 6-1, 245-pound tight end comes to Chattanooga after redshirting last season at FBS member Miami of Ohio. His addition should help ease the losses of Jay Gibson, who exhausted his eligibility, and Dalton Restelli, who will not return in 2025.
AJ Wallace: The Chattanooga native and 2024 graduate of South Pittsburg High School spent his first college season at Arkansas State. After an internal battle, the UTC defensive staff won the initial rights for the services of the 6-1, 177-pounder. The Mocs plan to use him in the secondary.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.