Mocs add three-star running back to 2019 recruiting class

Rusty Wright, who was hired as the UTC football program's head coach last month, speaks with Mocs quarterback Nick Tiano after Wright's introductory press conference on Dec. 21 in Chattanooga. Wright and his assistants began a busy stretch Thursday as they resumed recruiting ahead of the start of the traditional signing period next month.
Rusty Wright, who was hired as the UTC football program's head coach last month, speaks with Mocs quarterback Nick Tiano after Wright's introductory press conference on Dec. 21 in Chattanooga. Wright and his assistants began a busy stretch Thursday as they resumed recruiting ahead of the start of the traditional signing period next month.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright added another key piece to the Mocs' 2019 recruiting class Friday with the signing of running back Tre Young from Atlanta.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Young is rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com. He had 1,481 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior to help Riverwood reach the GHSA Class AAAAA state playoffs and finish 8-3 in 2018. Young had received 14 offers to play college football, including from Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Miami (Ohio), South Alabama and Tulane.

Young played this past season for head coach Robert Edwards, a star running back for the Georgia Bulldogs in the mid-1990s, and helped lead Riverwood to eight wins for the first time since 2001 and just its fourth appearance in the state playoffs in school history.

Young earned the Hoskyn Award as a senior, when he amassed more than 700 receiving yards. As a junior, he ran for 1,107 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"He's a multi-talented young man that does a lot of things well," Wright said of Young in a UTC release. "He catches the football, runs well after the catch, you can hand the ball off to him. He'll be a real impact for us on offense."

Young is the fourth running back the Mocs have signed in their 2019 class, joining Ailym Ford, Brandon Gregory and Lance Jackson. Last week on national signing day, Wright said he wanted versatile athletes who could line up anywhere on the field. Young, he said, fits that bill.

"Tre is an athlete and is someone (offensive coordinator) Joe Pizzo and those guys can use on offense in a lot of different spots," Wright said in the release. "He could possibly line up at running back for us, line up at receiver for us, at inside slot receiver.

Young is the sixth member of the Mocs' 19-man signing class with at least a two-star rating by recruiting services. He also is the seventh with an all-state honor on his résumé and the 11th with an academic accolade.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

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