SCHEDULE | TICKETS
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs start fall camp today. The season begins in just 31 days with kickoff schedule for 12:45 p.m., in Neyland Stadium on August 31. With drills beginning, it's time to put a bow on our annual preview series.
 
Last week, we talked about emerging from the shadows in the defensive line rooms. This week, we shift to the guys who mostly get noticed with something is amiss. Yep, we finish this off with the special teams room.
 
Snap. Hold. Kick. Each equally important in a successful PAT, field goal or even punt (you gotta catch it to kick it). There is a bit of strategery involved as well in kickoffs and punts. A slight mistake could lead to tragic results. On the flip side, this is a group that largely does its job with aplomb.
 
Then again, we might need to dispense with the usuals. Only redshirt junior kicker Jude Kelley returns with game experience for the Mocs. Long snappers Cody Olszewski and Jake Hall shared duties last year between punts and kicks. "Cody O" is the only player to play in every game Coach Rusty Wright's coached. So it's a room with something to prove.
 
But don't fret. The Mocs dipped into the portal and found junior Ethan Myers. Myers transfers from Austin Peay where he was an all-conference performer. He is ready to fill that void with competition from junior Grant Reid, sophomore Brody Gann and freshman J.J. Heath.
 
Kelley looked like his old self in the spring. He played the first four games in 2023 making 8-10 field goals before an injury kept him out the remainder of the season. He's healthy and swinging free again. His big competition comes from grad transfer Alen Karajic from Jacksonville State.
 
The Chattanooga native and East Hamilton product brings a big leg. He's scored 293 points in his career including a 48-67 mark on field goals with 130 touchbacks on kickoffs. Further competition also comes from the Kelley household. Younger brother Gray comes to town as a true freshman with talent to boot.
 
The punting battle looks is between redshirt freshmen. There's Kentucky transfer Heath Jehu and Signal Mountain's Pete Sesterhenn. The graduation of Clayton Crile opens up competition to continue on what Crile started earning all-conference honors in 2023.
 
"I really like the guys we brought in," Coach Rusty Wright stated. "I think it's a good mix of people. We're excited about Ethan being with us. I think he's going to step right in and do a good job there. We've got to find that next guy, next long snapper.
 
"Getting Jude back helps the kicking game. Hopefully he's healthy this year. We feel really good about him and Alen. Alen's got a strong leg and can do some different things for us.
 
"Then it's about finding a punter that's consistent. That can do what we need to do, but I think that room's got a chance to be pretty good. They're athletic and can do some different things. But it's just about them being consistent."
 
The most important aspect of special teams is summed up in a single word. Whether snapping, holding or kicking, nothing means more than consistency.
 
We sat down with the elder Kelley for a quick Q&A on a special subject.
 
So you got off to a pretty good start last year, four games and then had to shut it down. Just thoughts on last season, how it kind of started, kind of the optimism of it and getting to swing your leg regularly again...
Kelley: "Oh my gosh, it's great kicking now and not hurting. I see nothing but positives from last year. I only had 10 kicks for field goals, but I mean nothing but good vibes. There are things I can look back on with good memories and move forward."
 
We talked during the spring about how much freer you looked kicking again without pain. What's your comfort length for a kick?
Kelley: "I'll probably say 55. That's where I would chalk it. I mean, if it's a game situation where it's a little bit longer, we could probably go for that too. But 55 is a comfortable number."
 
Your record on onside kicks is rather impressive. What goes into that process without giving away any trade secrets or proprietary blends?
Kelley: "A lot of luck. I mean you can practice it. Breaking it down making it as repeatable as possible. So you know, memorizing how the ball comes off in different ways, higher or lower and just making sure that if you start it on the right line, it'll give it the best chance for some of our athletes to go make a play."
 
What's it like having your brother for a teammate for the first time?
Kelley: "It's cool. It's different, of course. It makes me get up a little bit earlier. I gotta go pick him up and make sure that he's awake and all that. You know, play parental duties. But yeah, it should be interesting. Ask me that again in a couple months (laughing). I might have a different answer."
 
What can Mocs fans expect from him in the future?
Kelley: "Oh a lot, a lot. He's better than I was when I was his age. Once he gets in the weight room and all that jazz. His potential? The sky's the limit."
 
The camaraderie of the special teams room is pretty impressive at practice. You all work together and almost coach each other while you're competing with each other. How does how does that kind of bond work?
Kelley: "That's a weird one. I mean, so if you had asked me that when I was a freshman, I would have a different answer because I think it was much more cutthroat. Everybody's going for a job. But as time's gone on, we are family. We spend more time with each other than we do anybody else. I think there's a mutual respect between all of us because nobody really knows what we go through better than us."
 
If you had the choice between a game-winning field goal or a game-winning free kick for Manchester United, what would you choose?
Kelley: "For the statistics? I'll probably go with the field goal. For the narrative? I'd probably go with the free kick because obviously that means I'm in a different world."
 
2024 Special Teams Room
Starters Returning/Lost (1/2): Jude Kelley (redshirted after starting first 4 games) | Clayton Crile, Cody Olszewski
Letter Winners Returning/Lost (3/4): Pete Sesterhenn, Brody Gann, Grant Reid | Crile, Olszewski, Jake Hall, Jon Estes
Redshirts/Newcomers (1/4): Kelley | Gray Kelley (Fr.-K), Alen Karajic (Sr.-K/Jacksonville State), Ethan Myers (Jr.-LS/Austin Peay), Heath Jehu (Fr.-P/Kentucky)
 
Notes to Know…

• Nearly complete overhaul of the special teams unit with long-time long snapper Cody Olszewski and grad transfer standout Clayton Crile completing eligibility as did long snapper Jake Hall.
• Jude Kelley is Gray's older brother. This is the first time they're teammates.
• Kelley went 8-10 on FG going 7-7 inside 40 yards and 1-3 outside it. His lone of 48 in the win at Samford.
• Myers was a starter at Austin Peay. Oddly enough, his last collegiate game ended on a walk-off field goal by Crile in the Mocs 24-21 triumph over the Govs in the FCS Playoffs.
• Myers was second team All-UAC in 2023.
• Heath Jehu redshirted at Kentucky in 2023. He was born in Kailua, Hawaii and lived in the UK for five years. He played soccer and water polo as well in high school where he was an all-conference performer at John Carroll Catholic in Birmingham, Ala.
• Karajic is a Chattanooga native (East Hamilton HS). He was a 4-year starter at JSU scoring 293 career points (152-156 PAT/48-67 FG) and kicking 130 touchbacks. His long field goal of 46 yards was done four times.

 
2024 PREVIEW SERIES
June 5: QB – Y2Chase | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
June 12: RB – Uncertain Certainty | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
June 19: WR – All Growns Up
June 26: TE – One More Year | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
July 3: OL – Who's Next | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
July 10: DB – Let's Stay Together | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
July 17: LB – Stocked Up | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
July 24: DL – Emerging | Meet The Mocs Radio Interview
 
MEET THE MOCS
Sports Talk on WGOW 102.3 FM is running it back again this year. Their weekly "Meet the Mocs" position segments interviewing key student-athletes over the summer months follow along with GoMocs.com's position previews. Check out Jude Kelley with the Sports Talk gurus Scott McMahen, David Paschall and Joe Varner at 4:35 p.m. Click the listen live link here on WGOW.com.
 
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets are now available to the general public. The deadline to renew last year's seats is May 31. Prices start at $60 for general admission. Mocs Club members have the option for reserved seats beginning at the $250 donation level which includes a season parking pass to go with the season ticket. The purchase of season tickets is the lowest per game price for fans.
 
STUDENT SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
Season tickets for students are FREE. However, students do need to register for their ticket here.
 
MOCS PICKED TO WIN SOCON TITLE
The Mocs claimed five first-place votes for a total of 61 points in a preseason poll of Southern Conference head coaches. A maximum of 80 was available as the Mocs were either one or two on every ballot. Furman was second including three top votes with Western Carolina in third with the other. Mercer was next followed by Samford, ETSU, VMI, Wofford and The Citadel. Ten student-athletes made the preseason all-league squad with four on the first team: DT Marlon Taylor (Preseason DPOTY), OL Reid Williams, DB Jordan Walker and WR Javin Whatley.
 
MOCS TOP 10 IN 1ST PRESEASON POLL
The Mocs are No. 10 in the HERO Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 released Thursday morning. The top 10 is led by South Dakota State followed by North Dakota State, Montana, Montana State, South Dakota, Villanova, Idaho, Sacramento State and Southern Illinois. Furman is 14th and Western Carolina comes in at 16.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
Stats Perform: DT Marlon Taylor (2nd), WR Javin Whatley (2nd)
FCS Football Central: DT Marlon Taylor (1st), WR Javin Whatley (1st), OL Reid Williams (2nd)
 
WATCH LISTS
Walter Payton Award: QB Chase Artopoeus, WR Javin Whatley
Shrine Bowl 1000: DT Marlon Taylor, WR Javin Whatley
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. NIL opportunities can be found here in the Opendorse NIL Marketplace.