Lineman picks Mocs over two SoCon powerhouses

Friday, January 1, 1904

Offensive lineman Corey Levin spent his weekend in Statesboro, Ga., making his official visit to Georgia Southern.

On the ride home to Dacula, Ga., he informed University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offensive line coach Geep Wade that he was committing to the Mocs. He is UTC's 11th commitment.

Despite offers from Southern Conference powers Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Levin said UTC was his No. 1 choice.

"I just liked the way it felt there," said Levin, who played left tackle at Dacula High School. "I felt really connected to the team and felt a family bond, so I'm excited about going there."

Levin is the second offensive lineman to pick the Mocs, joining Buford (Ga.) High School's Robert Hill. One reason Levin chose UTC over the Mountaineers and Eagles, he said, was the university's highly-regarded sports medicine school.

"They have a great, great program for sports medicine and athletic training," he said.

Levin got to see it up close last weekend when he was one of nine players that made official visits to UTC. Of those nine, five have committed to the Mocs.

At 250 pounds, Levin said he needs to pack on about 30 more. UTC returns all five starters on the line from last season, so Levin will likely redshirt.

"If I'm ready, maybe I can play," he said. "If I'm not, then I'll have to take a year to redshirt and then be ready to play."

Eight of UTC's 11 commitments are from Georgia. The Mocs had four players visit this weekend, including commitment James Stovall of Bradley Central.