Davis Tull of UTC

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive end Davis Tull was named to his second postseason All-America team Monday. Linebacker Wes Dothard, meanwhile, was named All-America for the second straight season -- a very rare feat at UTC.

The Sports Network FCS All-Americans were released Monday, and Tull and Dothard were two of 15 Southern Conference players to make first, second or third team.

Tull, a redshirt sophomore who led the SoCon with 12.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, made the second team. Earlier this month, he was named to the AFCA coaches' All-America team. After two seasons, Tull is second all-time at UTC with 17.5 sacks, and he has 27 tackles for loss.

Dothard, a redshirt junior, made the third team after leading UTC with 94 tackles. He made The Sports Network's first team a year ago, when he had 88 tackles, 13.5 for loss, and five forced fumbles. His back-to-back All-America honors are the first for a Moc since linebacker Josh Cain did it in 2001-02.

Wanted: linebackers

UTC's coaches have been busy recruiting the past couple of weeks. The Mocs have seven commitments so far: two quarterbacks, three offensive linemen, a running back and a defensive lineman.

Head coach Russ Huesman has said he wants to sign around 16 players. Asked Monday which position, if any, UTC needs to target, Huesman said linebacker.

"Linebacker, for sure, is a pretty critical spot," he said. "We've got to get two slam dunks there. ... We have to get two bona fide kids at linebacker. Obviously we've got Gunner [Miller] and Wes coming back, but from there it's pretty unproven."

UTC loses senior Shane Heatherly from the linebacker corps. He started every game this season and 10 in 2010 and was third on the team in 2012 with 73 tackles. Miller had 45 tackles.

Spring plans

Spring practice tentatively is scheduled to begin March 2 and conclude April 13. Huesman said he's looking forward to seeing how the offense develops during its second spring running a version of the spread system.

"We want to expand and do things with the offense, obviously, and clean it up in a lot of ways," he said. "We've got to find ways to get the ball to the running backs, and we've got to throw and catch it better. I don't think there's any question about that."

Statistically, Jacob Huesman and Terrell Robinson were both very accurate and efficient passers, with completion rates above 65 percent. But Coach Huesman said UTC needs to throw for more yards and send the ball downfield more often.

Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.