First Look
The Chattanooga Mocs started the summer months with a new storyline for the football program. Out is the weekly preview series and in is a new version focused on a single word. Each position coach shares his outlook for his crew in a single word.
This week we look at special teams. That covers a wealth of personnel from the obvious – kickers, snappers, holders – as well as coverage groups in all phases. The vastness of it all leads to a simple word, "together".
While several coaches have their hands in special teams work, Coach Wolf Shafer serves as the coordinator and shares his reasoning behind "together".
First Thought
"I think if we start just with the specialists on their own; anywhere in the country, those guys are always tight-knit. They're always kind of on their own together. I think it plays into a field goal or punt where those guys have to be together all on the same page from snap to hold to kick. They have to do their job and be efficient with their timing and accuracy. One can't be successful without the other one doing their job, which is a beautiful thing about the game and specifically for those guys." –
Shafer on "together"
Breakdown
A Quick Peek at the Room
- It all starts with the senior Kelley. He's coming off an 84-point season setting a new career long of 49 yards. His continued work has his range extending to nearly 60 yards judging by his work in camp.
- The junior Kelley, well redshirt freshman, got experience on kickoffs a year ago while teaming up with his older brother for the first time. Expect Gray to spend a season on kickoffs while backing up Jude on FG units.
- Jehu was impressive in his first collegiate season. His 44.1-yard average in the punting game is the longest in school history since All-America Pumpy Tudors' 45.5 effort in 1991. Jehu's number is the fifth best by a Moc on record.
- Reid looks like the heir apparent at long snapper. The former Tennessee transfer prepped at Baylor and is in his fourth year in the program. He's competing with junior Brody Gann and redshirt freshman JJ Heath.
Special Teams Provides Opportunity
The special teams units provide a lot of snaps to emerging talents. Year-in, year-out players get their first chances to make an impression on their position coaches by proving their worth in punt coverage or on kickoff return. The kickers get all the notice when it comes to these units but behind the scenes, the "four core" provide the start to special careers on both sides of the ball.
Hear from Jude Kelley
The annual "Meet the Mocs" cavalcade of stars kicked off in June with the start of this web series. Sport Talk on WGOW 102.3 FM welcomes a Mocs student-athlete each week that pairs with the position group featured on GoMocs.com. This week, senior
Jude Kelley joins Quake, David Paschall and Cowboy Joe live and in studio. Tune in at 4:35 p.m., for the interview either on your radio dial or
online here.
Final Thoughts
"I think the biggest thing for the special teams in general is being able to talk about three things. We're going to lean on effort. Then technique in doing our job, so discipline. Then finish...finish the play. Get the offense or defense on the field and win the hidden yardage battles." –
Shafer on unit philosophy
"One of the things that we tried to do this offseason was to simplify some of the scheme in different places in the four core - kickoff, kickoff return, punt & punt return. Amplify the scheme and be able to have some variation to what we're doing week to week. We can create variation in scheme while still making it same when it comes to responsibilities." –
Shafer on scheme
"You know when it happens. You'll know the snap or the hold. Could be the operation time from snap to hold. The accuracy of the snap. It's is the holder getting the laces out. Does he have it tilted the way the kicker wants it? Those guys are pretty specific in the way they that they want. You know that operation to go and that leads to the word consistency." –
Shafer on the process to a field goal and knowing when something is off
"I think the last part of the strategy is getting the right guys on each unit. Guys who play really hard and have discipline in their technique. For us, a lot of guys with the ability to be really good players down the road get their start here. Martez Cooksey was a really good player on special teams last year.
Josh Williams was a really good special teams player. These guys build trust for future impacts with what they do in the four core." –
Shafer on opportunities provided in special teams
Tickets on Sale
The 2025 season kicks off August 30 at Memphis. It begins on the road with intrastate matchups at the Tigers followed by the short trip to Cookeville to visit Tennessee Tech. The home opener is Sept. 13 with the first-ever meeting with Stetson.
Season tickets are on sale beginning at $60. Purchases can be made
here on GoMocs.com.
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.
