UTC recruiting class adds four, including Red Bank football star Lucas Brown

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Red Bank's Lucas Brown heads to the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown catch on Aug. 23 at Soddy-Daisy. The visiting Lions won 38-7 in the season opener for both teams.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Red Bank's Lucas Brown heads to the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown catch on Aug. 23 at Soddy-Daisy. The visiting Lions won 38-7 in the season opener for both teams.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team is adding a familiar face to the program with the commitment of Red Bank High School star Lucas Brown, part of a busy weekend for the Mocs less than two weeks from the early national signing period.

Joining Brown with coach Rusty Wright and his staff in the 2020 recruiting class will be quarterback Ty Gossett of Asheville, North Carolina; tight end Travon Jones of Dutchtown, Georgia; and Lafayette (Alabama) High School safety Jordan Walker.

Brown was a two-way starter at Red Bank, helping lead the Lions to a 10-2 record with 63 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns while also adding three interceptions and six pass breakups on defense. He also had full scholarship offers from Kennesaw State and Tennessee Tech.

"I like that it's at home, but it also gives me the best opportunity to keep that same pace receiver-wise we had at Red Bank," Brown said. "I felt something was right about it. I like how the coaches bonded with me and my family over time."

Red Bank coach Chris Brown said the Mocs are getting a game-changing athlete.

"He's a tremendous athlete for his size," Coach Brown said. "He has exceptional catching skills, tracks the ball very well and he can high-point the football. Lucas has deceptive breakaway speed and he plays with a strong physicality. He is a legitimate 6-1 with a much larger catch radius.

"And, beside that, he's a tremendous young man."

Gossett (6-foot-3, 220) played this past season at Jireh Prep School in Matthews, North Carolina, after leaving T.C. Roberson High in Asheville. In his final high school season Gossett passed for 2,141 yards and 23 touchdowns.

He also had offers from Virginia Military Institute, Elon and Lehigh.

Walker (6-3, 191) was a two-way starter at Lafayette. As a quarterback this past season he passed for 680 yards and eight touchdowns while also rushing for 562 and nine scores. The defensive back recorded 85 career solo tackles and 13 interceptions. He picked off seven passes in 2018, earning Class 2A first team all-state honors.

Jones also comes from a college prep school, Fork Union (Virginia) Military Academy, where he was a receiver. The 6-6, 205-pounder graduated from Dutchtown High, where he also started at outside linebacker.

The four join previous commitments Reuben Lowery III, a defensive back from Hillgrove (Georgia) High School, and Stockbridge (Georgia) High School defensive lineman John Prince in the 2020 UTC recruiting class.

Nunnelly honored

UTC junior wide receiver Bryce Nunnelly from Walker Valley High School is on the Academic All-American Division I second team announced Monday by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America. The two-time All-Southern Conference first-team player is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.81 grade point average.

"Bryce is one of the hardest workers I have ever been around, and he is very deserving of this recognition," Wright said in a UTC release. "He does everything the right way. It is no surprise to us that he produces on the field and in the classroom, because of the effort, discipline and dedication he puts into it.

"For him to be among those chosen from all Division I programs at the FBS and FCS levels shows that others recognize and appreciate what he has been able to accomplish. He has a bright future ahead of him, and I look forward to coaching him one more year."

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

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