Two weeks prior to the start of an unprecedented spring football season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga lost a position coach.
But it's also possible that the Mocs already have a replacement lined up.
A UTC athletic department official has confirmed that defensive line coach Landius Wilkerson - who was just hired last February - has taken the same position at South Alabama, a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Football Scoop was the first to report the move earlier this week, which gives Wilkerson the opportunity to move back to Alabama, where he had spent the previous 10 seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Huntingdon College (2017-18) and at Football Championship Subdivision's Jacksonville State (2018-19).
Wilkerson had an offseason and one game to coach the Mocs' defensive line, a 13-10 loss to FBS Western Kentucky on Oct. 24, and his unit helped limit the Hilltoppers to 254 yards of total offense, the third-fewest number of yards WKU had in a game in its' 12-game 2020 season.
His departure could have put the Mocs in a bad spot since the team is scheduled to return to practice next weekend for what is scheduled to be an eight-game spring season, starting Feb. 20 at home against Virginia Military Institute. However sources have indicated to the Times Free Press that head coach Rusty Wright already has a replacement in mind.
Former Moc Nick Davison, who spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons at UTC after transferring from Alabama-Birmingham, is being considered to replace Wilkerson.
Davison has spent the past six seasons coaching at Tennessee State, coaching on the defensive line. The highlight of his tenure was the 2017 season, when the Tigers ranked seventh in the FCS in yards allowed (278.5) and points allowed (19.6). During his tenure, he helped senior Jason Morrow to second-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 2017 and Ebenezer Ogundeko to consecutive first-team all-OVC selections. Ogundeko was the OVC Preseason Player of the Year in 2016.
Davison spent his two-year career alongside current UTC outside linebackers coach Jordan Tippit and director of football operations Kadeem Wise, racking up eight tackles for loss and two sacks in 2010 and earning 2011 preseason all-Southern Conference honors before moving to a student-assistant the next season after a knee injury prematurely ended his career.
He would inherit a solid unit, led by 2019 first-team all-SoCon selection Devonnsha Maxwell, who has 12.5 career sacks in two seasons. Davison would be Maxwell's fifth position coach since arriving in Chattanooga in 2017: Brian Cochran (2017), Davern Williams (2018), Kenny Baker (2019) and Wilkerson.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.