The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team put a league-high 11 individuals on the preseason All-Southern Conference team today.  The Mocs tied for the SoCon lead with five on the first team and were picked third in both the preseason media and coaches polls. 

No other team in the league reached double-figures in honorees with Samford in second place at nine.  Furman was third with eight, while The Citadel and VMI had seven each. 

Senior offensive lineman Cole Strange and senior receiver Bryce Nunnelly both made first team offense.  Strange is a Phil Steele Preseason All-American and a four-year starter. Nunnelly is a two-time first team All-SoCon honoree who is also a returning Academic All-American.  He is second all-time at UTC with nine career 100-yard games and is in the top 10 with 149 catches and 2,214 career receiving yards.

Senior defensive back Brandon Dowdell, junior defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell and junior linebacker Ty Boeck all made the first team defense.  All three are returning all-conference performers with Dowdell leading the way as a two-time first team honoree.  Maxwell led the SoCon with 7.0 sacks last season, while Boeck was second on the team with 101 tackles.

Representing the Mocs on the second team offense are senior offensive lineman Harrison Moon, senior tight end Chris James, junior offensive lineman McClendon Curtis and sophomore running back Ailym Ford.  Moon and James are both in their sixth year of eligibility.  Moon has started 15 games at tackle since transferring from Mississippi State in 2018.  James is a Preseason All-American who is tied for first in the NCAA among returning tight ends with seven TD catches in 2019. 

Curtis started all 12 games for the Mocs in 2019, playing 11 at right guard.  Ford was fifth in the voting for the 2019 Jerry Rice Award, given to the National Freshman of the Year.  He led all freshman in the FCS and FBS with 108.1 rushing yards per game in 2019.

Second team defense included sophomore defensive lineman Jay Person and senior defensive back Jordan Jones. Person played in 11 games with three starts, posting 41 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.  Jones led the SoCon with 12 passes defended while totaling a career-high 46 tackles.

UTC picked up one first place vote in the preseason coaches poll, totaling 53 points.  Wofford led that list with 60 points and Furman was second with 56.  Furman tops the media poll with 246 points, followed by Wofford (228) and Chattanooga (192).  The Citadel was fourth in the media poll with three first-place votes. 

UTC enters the spring season with an 0-1 record, following the narrow 13-10 loss at Western Kentucky on Oct. 24.  The Mocs first game of the spring is at home against VMI on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Noon (E.S.T.) at Finley Stadium.  Be sure to stay tuned to GoMocs.com for information on attendance decision based on the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2020-21 Preseason All-Southern Conference Football Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Reece Udinski, QB, Sr., VMI
Defensive Player of the Year: Willie Eubanks III, LB, Sr., The Citadel