There was a moment early in last week’s 42-10 season-opening loss at Memphis when University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright saw something from his players.
It wasn’t fear — football players are expected to be fearless on the field, after all — as much as it was their actions suggesting the Mocs were experiencing a surreal moment, and for good reason.
For almost half of the players in UTC’s lineup on offense or defense, it was their first time in that role. In addition to the combined nine new starters, three more players were first-year transfers who did not play last season: New starting quarterback Camden Orth missed the 2024 season at Bowling Green due to injury, while safety Khari Gee (Georgia Tech) and receiver Jamarii Robinson (Northern Colorado) sat out while competing their degrees.
There were 11 other Mocs who appeared in a college game for the first time.
If another era, before transferring and gaining immediate eligibility was as common or easy it has become over the past few years, there’s a good chance most of the players on the field for UTC last week wouldn’t have been in the game. That’s because most of the Mocs’ defections since last season — 24 from the 2024 roster entered the NCAA transfer portal, and several of them made the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision — would have been starters for them this season.