Georgia's Derrick Lott to play for UTC

photo Derrick Lott.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team already has one really big body in its defensive tackle rotation in 6-foot-3, 300-pound Chris Mayes. The Mocs now have another in former Georgia Bulldog Derrick Lott.

Lott, listed at 6-4, 303 pounds on Georgia's website, is transferring to UTC after playing sparingly the past two seasons for the Bulldogs. He signed last week and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

"We're expecting him to be a pretty good player and we're excited about having him," Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. "He's athletic and he's big."

New Mocs running backs coach Thomas Brown, a Georgia graduate who was an assistant strength coach last season, gave Lott a big thumbs up, Huesman said. Bulldogs coach Mark Richt also spoke highly of the former Rivals.com four-star prospect from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Ga.

"When you've got Thomas Brown and Mark Richt speak very highly of him, you know he's a pretty good kid," Huesman said.

After redshirting in 2009 following ankle surgery, Lott had seven tackles in three games during the 2010 season. He played in just two games last season, after a scooter accident last July that resulted in a leg injury and surgery. Lott finished his UGA career with 10 tackles.

Lott and Mayes lining up together inside would be a formidable pairing. Few, if any, Football Championship Subdivision teams can line up a pair of tall, athletic 300-pounders. At defensive tackle UTC also has redshirt sophomores Keyon Reed and Devin Scates and sophomores Josh Freeman and Toyvian Brand.

Brand and Freeman started as true freshmen last season and still have redshirt years available. Huesman said he would wait to see how everyone does in the preseason before making any decisions.

"I don't know if you can forecast the future as to what's going to happen," he said. "I'm not sure what we're going to do."

Brand is one of UTC's most versatile lineman because the 6-2, 260-pounder has the power and size to play inside and is "twitched up" enough, Huesman said, to have the quickness to be a backup defensive end. Freeman, who started 10 games last season, sat out spring practice following shoulder surgery.

Huesman said UTC has had conversations with a couple of other possible transfers, but no other signings are imminent.

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