Isaiah Mack excited for chance to join former Mocs already in the NFL

UTC defensive lineman Isaiah Mack returns a fumble during the Mocs' game at Western Carolina in October 2018.
UTC defensive lineman Isaiah Mack returns a fumble during the Mocs' game at Western Carolina in October 2018.

Family has long been a key component for Isaiah Mack when making life-changing decisions.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive lineman and Northwest Whitfield High School graduate again chose to stay close to home Saturday, when he decided to sign an undrafted free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.

Mack, the 2018 Southern Conference defensive player of the year and an FCS All-America first-team selection by The Associated Press, celebrated with his family Saturday after finalizing his deal.

Although Mack was not selected during the seven rounds of the three-day NFL draft that concluded Saturday in Nashville, his status as an undrafted free agent allowed him to choose the Titans, whose roster already includes former UTC offensive lineman Corey Levin.

Chattanooga's Kareem Orr, who starred in high school at Notre Dame, began his collegiate career at Arizona State, then played his final two NCAA seasons at UTC - the cornerback was an All-Southern Conference first-team selection in 2018 - accepted an invitation to the Titans' rookie camp, set for May 10-12. Wofford University safety JoJo Tillery, an East Ridge graduate, signed an undrafted contract with the Titans.

"It was important for me to stay close to home," Mack said. "I celebrated with my family. A little bit of tears and a lot of laughs. Shots were taken, pictures were taken and it was really exciting.

"I get to learn behind Jurrell Casey, and I get to be close to my family. Those were the two biggest reasons I decided to sign with Tennessee. I have been in Tennessee the last five years, so I might as well keep it going."

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Mack, a finalist for the 2019 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the Football Championship Subdivision defensive player of the year, posted 8.5 sacks as a tackle his past season. He finished 17th in the Buchanan voting and received All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation and a bevy of others.

Mack hopes to join Levin, a 2016 UTC graduate, C.J. Board (Jacksonville Jaguars), Keionta Davis (New England Patriots), Tae Davis (New York Giants) and Buster Skrine (Chicago Bears) as Mocs in the NFL in 2019.

"Mack has a chance to make it at that level because of the hard work he has put in," UTC coach Rusty Wright said. "He is explosive and he can run, and we are all excited for him and happy for him if you are willing to put in the work, you can get there from here."

Orr (5-11, 195) earned Freshman All-America honors at Arizona State in 2015 after leading the team with six interceptions. In two seasons at UTC, he had 81 tackles, including 45 as a senior, when he also broke up 10 passes and posted a team-leading five takeaways.

Tillery (6-2, 210) played in 51 games at Wofford, 27 of them starts, and amassed 160 tackles, including 106 solo stops. He had four interceptions, with three coming this past season, and 14 pass breakups. He twice had seven tackles in a game, against UTC and Wyoming.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

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