(Photo by Riley Haltom/The Volunteer Channel and Rock Solid Sports)
By Riley Haltom
Fall is arriving, students are back on campus, and that means one thing on Rocky Top. Vols football season is here. The 2024 season is one of the most anticipated campaigns for Tennessee football as they enter a new era under the leadership of five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava’s first regular season start will come against the in-state FCS opponent Chattanooga Mocs. Let’s evaluate the strengths of the FCS preseason top-10 opponent.
Chattanooga’s 2023 Season
Chattanooga enters this season ranked eighth in the country for FCS schools and is projected to win the Southern Conference. Fifth-year head coach Rusty Wright led the team to a 8-5 record and an FCS playoff appearance last season, losing to last season’s SoCon champion, Furman.
The Mocs etched an early season win over the Kennesaw State Owls, which recently joined the FBS in Conference-USA, 27-20. They played a gauntlet of an FCS schedule, including five ranked matchups and a game in Bryant-Denny against the Alabama Crimson Tide which the Mocs lost by a score of 66-10.
Key Players to Watch
RS-Jr Reid Williams, Center
Center Reid Williams was voted as second-team FCS preseason All-America and first team all-SoCon. While Williams is the anchor for the Chattanooga offensive line, the unit as a whole deserves credit for their 2023 campaign, where they were rated as the second-best pass-blocking offensive line behind just Oregon and gave up just 1.31 sacks per game and 3.85 tackles-for-loss, which were both top 20 marks in the country. Most impressively, the unit gave up no sacks to Alabama and only two tackles-for-loss. It will be interesting to see how this unit holds up against the onslaught of talent the Vols have on their defensive line, including the likes of Omari Thomas and James Pearce Jr.
RS-Sr Marlon Taylor, DL
Defensive tackle Marlon Taylor was voted first-team FCS preseason All-America and first-team preseason All-SoCon, as well as preseason SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. Taylor is also on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watchlist. The senior started all 13 games for the Mocs, registering 30 tackles, 9 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Taylor will have to face an interior offensive line including Cooper Mays, Jackson Lampley, and Javontez Spraggins.
RS-Jr Javin Whatley, WR
Wide receiver Javin Whatley was voted as first-team FCS preseason All-America and first-team All-SoCon, as well as making Bruce Feldman’s athletic “freaks” list as an honorable mention. Whatley totaled 55 catches for 977 yards and nine touchdowns last season, including a 54-yard catch against Alabama, which is the longest the Tide have given up since Jalin Hyatt’s 78-yard touchdown grab against the Tide in 2022. Whatley’s most impressive performance was an 11-catch, 231-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Western Carolina. Whatley will be facing a depleted CB room for Tennessee which has been ravaged by the transfer portal, graduation, injury, and the NFL Draft this offseason.
What’s Next
The in-state matchup will kick off the Vols’ season on August 31 at 12:45 p.m. in Neyland Stadium.