UTC left tackle Malcolm White, left, helps quarterback Nick Tiano up during a home game against Western Carolina last September. White is one of four returning starters on the offensive line.The Times Free Press is taking a daily positional look at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team leading up to its first practice of the 2018 preseason next Wednesday. Today, we feature the defensive line:
Who's back?
Junior left tackle Malcolm White, a preseason All-Southern Conference second-team selection, leads a group of four starters returning for a unit that took its share of lumps last year. Cole Strange, a Phil Steele Freshman All-American in 2017, started the final five games and did well, while juniors Taylor Helton and Brian Marshall were regular starters and senior Luke Schultheiss started once and appeared in four other games. The 2017 unit was never able to jell in a way that helped the offense consistently move the ball during Tom Arth's first season as head coach, but having had a year in the scheme should help.
Who's new?
Mississippi State transfer Harrison Moon went through the spring with the Mocs, taking snaps at center in hopes of replacing the graduated Josh Cardiello. The Mocs also added Georgia transfer Chris Barnes and Louisiana-Monroe transfer Noah Ramsey, who played at Southeast Whitfield High School. Redshirt freshman McClendon Curtis played a lot of right guard with the first-string line and has the size at 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds to be a big piece of the unit. Incoming freshmen Dylan Cole and Zach Fox are likely redshirts, but they will be given early chances to show their ability to contribute. That's also true for Kyle Miskelley, a transfer from Minot State in North Dakota - he started 12 of 19 games he played for the Division II Beavers - who is the brother of incoming freshman Simon Miskelley, an inside linebacker.
Strengths
Offensive line coach Nick Hennessey likes versatility, and he should have that from both his returning and new players. Ramsey spent time at center in his first two college seasons, and Barnes spent time all over the line trying to find a fit at Georgia. The number of returning starters is obviously a plus, and Curtis's weight loss - he went from 360 to 320 and can easily dunk a basketball - has been noticed and will be key. If the new players meet their potential, there should be depth regardless of how the rotations shake out.
Weaknesses
There were baby steps taken during the season last year, but the Mocs failed to reach 100 rushing yards in eight of their 11 games and UTC quarterbacks were sacked 34 times (109th nationally). This unit looked better during the spring, but it still wasn't good. How quickly will the next step happen?
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.