Not all the victories a college football coach celebrates come on the field of play. Sometimes it's a troubled kid turning his life around. Sometimes it's the least talented player on the team making a play that saves a game. Then there are those young men who move on to the next level, where they're paid to play with more than a scholarship.
For the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Rusty Wright, this past week not only delivered him his first collegiate head coaching victory when the Mocs dispatched Eastern Illinois 24-10 on Thursday night at Finley Stadium, it gave him a pretty special recruiting edge when NFL franchises announced their 53-man rosters for the start of the regular season.
Not only did five former Mocs make the 53-man squads, two more - Keionta Davis with the world champion New England Patriots and Kareem Orr of the Tennessee Titans - were placed on injured reserve and practice squads, respectively.
"Those guys are not only good football players, they are also good people," Wright said during Tuesday's media luncheon. "They are as good of folks as you want to be around. I am excited for those guys. Hopefully, they get an opportunity to play and show what they can do."
Four of the five on the 53-man rosters have direct ties to Wright. Third-year offensive lineman Corey Levin (just picked up by Denver), Titans rookie defensive lineman Isaiah Mack, second-year New York Giants linebacker Tae Davis and third-year wideout C.J. Board (Jacksonville) were all recruited or coached by Wright during his years as a UTC assistant.
The other former Moc on an NFL roster - defensive back Buster Skrine - is about to begin his ninth professional season after signing a three-year deal with the Chicago Bears in March. He previously spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and four with the New York Jets.
Yet as much as it means to those players and their bank accounts, it may also mean a tremendous amount to the UTC coaching staff as it recruits future players.
"Oh, it's huge," said Wright, whose Mocs have a huge test at Jacksonville State on Saturday night. "When players know they can get to the NFL from here, you can't put a price tag on that. Recruits look at that and know they have an opportunity to reach their dreams after four or five years in this program."
That truth was definitely not lost on UTC senior defensive end Khayyan Edwards and senior offensive lineman Harrison Moon when news from Saturday's NFL roster moves reached Mocsville.
"I've been following it a little bit," Edwards said of the final roster cuts. "Especially the guys I played with. I think it's amazing. It lets everyone see the kind of players that Chattanooga produces."
It also gives him hope that he'll be able to follow in their footsteps after this season, as well as the huge footsteps of former Mocs great and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens.
"God willing," Edwards added, "that's what I'll be doing one day."
Moon, who played high school ball at Signal Mountain before transferring home to UTC from Mississippi State, was no less excited over his former teammates reaching the apex of their sport.
"I think everyone's dream is to one day play in the NFL," he said. "This proves you can get there from here. You do pay attention to that in recruiting. You don't want to go anywhere where you don't think you have a chance to make it to the NFL."
Mark WiedmerNor should the collegiate careers of Mack and Tae Davis do anything but encourage those players who aren't immediate stars at UTC or elsewhere.
"There were times I wasn't sure Isaiah would make it here under (former UTC coach) Russ (Huesman)," said a smiling Wright. "He had some tough times, but he stuck it out, worked hard and reached his potential."
As for Davis, "We just had a hard time getting him on the field the first couple of years because he had so many good players, veterans like Lucas Webb, ahead of him. We knew he was really good, but so were a lot of other guys he was competing against."
Beyond that, Wright couldn't help but break into a grin over an initial assessment of the recruiting class that included Board, Keionta Davis and Levin.
"The lowest rated class we had when we signed them," he said. "Just shows you never know how they'll play after three or four years in your program."
But he thinks he knows what the future may hold for Board, both Davises, Levin, Mack, Orr and Skrine.
"Being in that 53 is awesome," Wright said. "It is great for them. Those guys have an opportunity to play for a while. It will completely change their lives if they continue to work at it."
In the meantime, their ability to get this far and last this long on an NFL roster should completely change the recruiting capabilities of their alma mater.
Contact Mark Wiedmer mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.