The tight ends combine physicality and finesse to impact the offensive fortunes for the Chattanooga Mocs.
photo by Dale Rutemayer/gomocs.com
The 18th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs continue fall camp in preparation for the 2021 campaign. GoMocs.com moves to the seventh installment in its 9-point season preview series moving to edge of the offensive line, the hybrid position that is the tight end.
Starters Returning (1): Chris James
Starters Lost (0): N/A
Returnees with career starts (2): Jay Gibson, Juwan Tyus
This 6-person room has a little bit of everything in it.
There are two upperclassmen who moved to tight end from more “glamorous” positions, a couple of transfers along with a couple of freshmen. There’s an all-conference performer, the player with the longest play from scrimmage in 2020-21 and two tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
“We’re looking for a good balance of physicality in the run game and productivity when we get to catch the football,” Coach Jacob Huesman started. “We need to be an integral part of the run game. I’ve got a group of smart guys who always know what to do, it’s fine tuning the technique and physicality to be dominant at tight end.”
The All-SoCon standout is Chris James, first team in 2019. He moved to tight end a couple of years ago from quarterback. James is coming back from an injury that kept him out of the spring schedule.
Juwan Tyus shifted from wide receiver but went back to his roots with a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the won at The Citadel. He and Jay Gibson caught TD passes in the spring joining wideouts Jamoi Mayes and Tyler Smith. Tyus is entering his fourth year in blue and gold while Gibson made the move from Western Kentucky in 2019 playing in 14 career games with three starts.
KeShawn Toney is a freshman transfer from South Carolina where he redshirted in 2019 before playing in five games last fall. He was a 3-star prospect with more than 2300 receiving yards in his prep career. Third-year redshirt freshman Evan Brown and second-year frosh Travon Jones are pushing for time as well. It provides a deep, competitive room.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
"They’re a large part of our offense. We do a lot with them. They’ve got to be good run blockers…good pass catchers…good out in space…good at the line of scrimmage. We’ve got a good core group of guys." – Head Coach Rusty Wright
"That’s a group that is progressing really well. That competition for our linebackers every day is a challenge in both the way they block in the running game and the athleticism in running routes and catching the football" – ILB Coach Mike Yeager
"They’re a better than I was (chuckling), I can promise you that." – Former Mocs TE Rusty Wright
NOTES
- Chris James is one of three Mocs – joining OT Harrison Moon & DE Montez Wilson – entering their seventh collegiate football season.
- 61 career games in the tight end room: Jay Gibson (18), Juwan Tyus (17), Chris James (13), KeShawn Toney (9), Evan Brown (3) & Travon Jones (1).
- 56 catches for 608 yards and nine touchdowns in the group: James (26-290, 7 TDs), Tyus (18-229, 1 TD), Gibson (9-71, 1 TD), Toney (1-0) & Brown (2-18).
GoMocs.com continues its annual position-by-position preview Wednesday with the tight ends. The preview series starts with an article on the home of all things Mocs, GoMocs.com, followed throughout the day on various social media channels @GoMocsFB.
The schedule:
Season tickets are available by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or online here at GoMocs.com. Fans also can go through the GoMocs app available on Android and Apple IOS devices in their respective app stores. Home games await hosting the Governors, Western Carolina, ETSU, Furman and The Citadel.