Sean Stackhouse has put in the work. Now he's ready to play.
"I still haven't played a game yet, so I haven't proven anything," said Stackhouse, who transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in January.
A standout tight end at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla. -- Scout.com rated him No. 31 nationally among tight end prospects his senior year -- Stackhouse signed with the University of Kentucky, which tried to make him an offensive lineman.
After redshirting in 2008 and seeing little action the next two seasons, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Stackhouse came to UTC to get back to his preferred position.
Spring practice, Stackhouse said, "went as good as I think it could go, but I know I can get a lot better."
He, like many of his new teammates, has been working toward that all summer.
"We're doing some good workouts out here," he said. "It's still a work in progress and I can't say what the future holds, but as of right now it all feels good."
Stackhouse is the Mocs' No. 1 tight end heading into preseason practice, which begins Aug. 4. He has some big shoes to fill this fall because he's replacing Garrett Hughes, who was first-team All-Southern Conference as a senior last season.
Hughes was third on the team with 25 catches and averaged 13.8 yards per reception. This summer, Hughes has spent some time working with the Mocs' tight ends.
"He was All-SoCon, so of course he's someone good to listen to," Stackhouse said. "When you watch film and see that he did everything right, it's good to see someone who's actually been through it and been in the system for a while and can give you some pointers on how to do it."
Studying film and catching passes and memorizing the playbook are all necessary, but nothing matches game experience, Stackhouse said. That's why he can't wait for practice to begin and for the Mocs to make the trip to Lincoln, Neb., for their Sept. 3 season opener against Nebraska.
"It's the first game and you're playing at Nebraska -- that's huge," he said. "Even if I was still at Kentucky, I think playing Nebraska would still be a big deal because they're such a well-known college football team."