The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team's first spring signee is a big one: 6-foot-5, 300-pound Kevin Malone, a third-place finisher in the Ohio state tournament.
"He's big physically, and it also is big in that we won a battle with Ohio State to get him," Mocs coach Heath Eslinger said.
Malone, who went 41-5 as a Carrollton (Ohio) High School senior, was a four-year letterman in wrestling and lettered twice in football. He was wrestling team captain this past season and finished with a career record of 105-58 and 66 pins, including 26 as a senior.
According to Carrollton coach Ken Pasiuk, Malone was taken down only three times during the 2009-10 season.
"I am very proud of and happy for Kevin," Pasiuk said. "He has worked very hard to get where he is now. He has a great attitude on life, he's a good student in the classroom and his work ethic is wrestling is relentless. What a great opportunity for such a good kid."
Attitude and academics are becoming trademarks in the Eslinger era at UTC.
"There are three things we look at before we seriously recruit an athlete: What does he do in the classroom? How is his character? And how are his credentials?" Eslinger said. "Kevin fits what we're looking for in all three of those categories."
Malone decided to concentrate on wrestling after his sophomore season.
"You don't get kids like this very often because they are playing football," Eslinger said.
"He was being recruited by a number of colleges because of his size and athleticism, and he knew he wanted to wrestle in college and compete at a Division I level," Pasiuk said. "With that in mind he narrowed his list to UTC, OSU and Kent State. After visiting all three and seeing what they were offering, he decided to go to UTC.
"They were able to offer a sizable scholarship, and UTC also offers degrees in physical therapy and athletic training, two areas of education Kevin would like to pursue."
The Mocs signed five for this year last fall: Baylor's Cole Hayes and Trey Stavrum, Cookeville's Joe Proctor, Levi Clemons from Kissimmee, Fla., and Joe DeAngelo from Mebane, N.C. DeAngelo is expected to compete at 125, Clemons at 174, Hayes at 141 and 149, Stavrum at 149 and Proctor at 165 and 174.