Who will step up for Mocs to replace departed veterans?

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC defensive back Kam Brown practices his tackling on a large ball during the Mocs' spring football showcase in April at Finley Stadium. Brown and Reuben Lowery are good candidates for bigger roles this season for a defense that was No. 1 in the SoCon last year.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC defensive back Kam Brown practices his tackling on a large ball during the Mocs' spring football showcase in April at Finley Stadium. Brown and Reuben Lowery are good candidates for bigger roles this season for a defense that was No. 1 in the SoCon last year.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga lost 40% of its letter winners from last season, including starters at every position on the football field.

For the Mocs to live up to the expectations placed on them after being voted the preseason Southern Conference favorites by both league coaches and media, new bodies will have to step up in some key spots and be ready to contribute.

Here's a look at some likely candidates to take on advanced roles for the Mocs, who began preseason practices Friday and open against league foe Wofford on Sept. 3 at Finley Stadium.

Gino Appleberry and/or Chris Houston, running back

UTC coaches feel like they overused Ailym Ford as a freshman in 2019, leaning heavily on him due to injuries at the position that eventually took out the talented back. In 2021, the return of Tyrell Price from an injury that season led to a powerful one-two rushing punch for the Mocs, and Ford and Price combined to run for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns, including 853 rushing yards and 10 total scores for Price, a sixth-year senior last fall who had already graduated in December 2020. Appleberry, who rushed for 194 yards and two scores last season, and Houston, a transfer from Charlotte who has great speed, could collectively provide the level of production needed for running backs coach Anthony Davis to feel comfortable shuffling them in and out of the game with Ford.

photo Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Chris Houston, pictured, is a candidate for a UTC running back rotation that will be led by Ailym Ford, who combined with sixth-year senior Tyrell Price for more than 1,900 rushing yards last season. Price is one of several experienced players the Mocs must replace.

Reid Williams, center

Despite the loss of four offensive linemen to graduation and two to the transfer portal, it always felt like the new linemen (seven from that same portal) would likely be battling for two positions. Two starters, right guard McClendon Curtis and right tackle Colin Truett, were returning, and the staff always felt good about Williams, who prepped at Ringgold and has 13 games of college experience and one start with three years of eligibility remaining. The unit could be as good or even better than last season, but it will be important for guys such as Williams to move into larger roles.

Jamoi Mayes, receiver

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound sophomore is the leading returning receiver in terms of yardage gained in 2021, with 250 yards on his 15 catches. A larger role is definitely expected this season, with fourth-year head coach Rusty Wright listing Mayes among his players he was excited to see grow in 2022. That will be important because UTC has lost productive targets including Bryce Nunnelly, Reggie Henderson and Chris James over the past 18 months and will be relying on a talented but extremely young group to catch passes this fall.

Kam Brown and Reuben Lowery, defensive back

Four of the five starters in the secondary are gone from last season, when the Mocs had the SoCon's top-ranked defense. Avoiding a drop in production on the back end could depend on the development of Brown - who started in the 2020 game at Western Kentucky and could line up opposite CaMiron Smith, a returning starter - and Lowery, who backed up former Ooltewah standout Rashun Freeman. Lowery's versatility will allow him to either play Freeman's former position of nickel or at safety if that's where the staff feels he's best.

Quay Wiggles, defensive line

All three starters return on the Mocs' talented defensive line, but with the staff's desire to keep bodies fresh, Wiggles - once comitted to Georgia Tech - will have his chances. The 2020-21 SoCon All-Freshman selection finished with a pair of sacks in his second freshman season last fall, and he has already started to show improvement through the first two practices of this preseason camp.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.

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