Chattooga grad Wilson joins UTC football staff

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has added former Florida State graduate assistant Jeremiah Wilson to its football coaching staff.

Wilson, who is from nearby Summerville, Ga., will fill the defensive backs position vacated by Zac Etheridge, who had been hired to replace Jonathan Cooley. Cooley left for a position at Football Bowl Subdivision member Kent State. UTC head coach Tom Arth initially hired Etheridge — who worked the 2017 season at Western Carolina — but the former Auburn standout left a week later for a position at Louisiana-Lafayette, another FBS program.

Wilson played at Chattooga High School and spent a year at NCAA Division II member Lenoir-Rhyne before finishing his playing career at Huntingdon College. He started his coaching career there and then moved to Amos P. Godby High School in Florida, where he was the recruiting coordinator for programs scouting players. That opened an opportunity at Florida State, where he has worked for the past five seasons.

His addition fills out a UTC defensive staff that’s gone through a huge shakeup this offseason, with only one coach — outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton — remaining with his 2017 position group. Matt Feeney was promoted from inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after the departure of Tom Kaufman for Kent State. Davern Williams was hired to replace Brian Cochran, who also left for the Golden Flashes program.

Feeney will coach safeties this season, with Oscar Rodriguez moving into his old spot.