UTC's Jordan Jones, left, defends on a pass to T.J. Horton during a Mocs spring practice last month.
UTC's CaMiron Smith, bottom, tackles teammate Jacob Webster (82) during the team's spring showcase last month at Finley Stadium.Given the choice, most defensive football coaches will build their units from the inside out. For first-year University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright and his staff, circumstances have led to the opposite approach.
While the Mocs' defense is largely unsettled at other positions, the backfield is mostly set. Junior safeties Brandon Dowdell and Jerrell Lawson will likely be preseason All-Southern Conference selections, and cornerbacks Jordan Jones and CaMiron Smith return after playing significant minutes in 2018.
"That DB group is phenomenal," Wright said with a quick smile. "They are talented and smart kids, and they are not shy about contact."
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Dowdell was a first-team All-SoCon pick after a 2018 season in which he intercepted three passes, broke up six others and made 40 tackles. Lawson (6-2, 200) ended the 2018 season at linebacker and finished fourth on the team with 53 tackles. He was named to the SoCon all-freshman team in 2017 after making nine starts at safety.
Defensive assistant coach David Bibee, who works mainly with the safeties, is excited about what the pair can do this season. Bibee is also impressed with backups Rashun Freeman and D.J. Jackson, two more juniors who return with experience.
"They are all smart," Bibee said. "I love smart players, especially back there. The quicker they understand what all I expect of them, the better and better we will get. Once they get there, that's when coaching becomes fun. This is a group that will get better and better, and they are all juniors who have played.
"Brandon has played a lot. He's physical and he wants to make plays. The thing you have to push hardest with him is to stay within the system. This happens with good players, where they think, 'I haven't made a play yet.' You have to go back to fundamentals because plays come in bunches. Jerrell is big, strong and physical and smart. He's a technician who absorbs everything and stays disciplined in everything he does. He can play anywhere."
The Mocs lost talented starting cornerbacks C.J. Fritz and Kareem Orr, who were seniors last season. However, Jones, a 5-10, 175-pound junior, played in eight games (including three starts), and Smith, a 5-9, 175-pound sophomore, played in all 11 (one start). Barring a strong preseason from Nevada transfer Cameron Jones, Jones and Smith are the likely starters.
"They still need to get better technique-wise," Wright said of his cornerbacks. "Those guys have a hard job because if they get beat, there's nobody to help. We're still trying to figure out who is the boundary guy and who is the field guy, and we're trying to figure out the best combination on the back end with the safeties."
Other defensive backs on the roster include senior Blake Lea and sophomore Darius Clark, while freshman recruits Kameron Brown and Jelen Lee, a two-star prospect, will be added to the mix in late summer.
With their spring session winding down - the Mocs held their final scrimmage Saturday at Finley Stadium - Dowdell said the secondary appeared ready to lead a mostly inexperienced defense in the next phase of preparation.
"Losing Kareem Orr and C.J. Fritz was tough, but this group is working hard to perfect our craft and get better each day," he said. "People say we are the strength of the team, and honestly, I think that's right because this DB group has the most experience on the field.
"Our roles are to come out here and lead these guys, be more vocal. We've been in situations in the past, so the coaches just want us to be leaders because we've experienced it. We're ready for the challenge."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.