Mocs Land Twelve Recruits During Early Signing Period
(gomocs.com) The Chattanooga Mocs got the 2026 roster construction started Wednesday adding 12 new signees at the outset of the National Signing Day early period. This first opportunity to sign for the Class of 2026 is Dec. 3-5.
The group comes from a 5-state circle of states that all neighbor Tennessee as well as the home state. Two are early enrollees joining the squad in time for spring practice. The early group sets the foundation for the full class that now focuses on mid-year transfers and finally the traditional February signing date.
First Word
“Really, really good group of players. Good length, talent and most of all good people. Just a group that I think continues to build on what we’ve done in the last couple of years with our high school classes. We were able to flip a couple late which was good. I think there’s a lot of upside for everybody in this group right now.” – Coach Rusty Wright
Position Breakdowns:
QB (0):
RB (1): *Kelby Glaze (Lincoln County HS)
WR (0):
TE (2): Joseph Brigmon (Bell County HS), *Hayne Tobias (Union Pines HS)
OL (2): Jared Bafford (Oak Ridge HS), Hamilton Black (Lambert HS)
DL (3): Dacian Davis (Monroe Area HS), Cruz Lee (Northridge HS), Daniel Oduola (Hampton HS)
LB (0):
DB (4): AD Davis (Blackman HS), Kaden Edwards (Pinson-Valley HS), Amari Matthews (Wenonah HS), Jayden Rush (Franklin Road Acad.)
PK (0):
P (0):
LS (0):
*January Enrollee
Alabama (3): Kaden Edwards (Pinson), Cruz Lee (Northport), Amari Matthews (Birmingham)
Georgia (4): Hamilton Black (Suwanee), Dacian Davis (Monroe), Kelby Glaze (Lincolnton), Daniel Oduola (Hampton)
Kentucky (1): Joseph Brigmon (Pineville)
North Carolina (1): Hayne Tobias (Whispering Pines)
Tennessee (3): Jared Bafford (Oak Ridge), AD Davis (Smyrna), Jayden Rush (Nashville)
Last Word
“We got the number we were trying to get of high school guys. That leaves us a handful left to get. I think we’re in a really good shape moving forward. That’s going into the transfer window in January and then the final high school push in February.” – Wright on moving forward
“Those were numbers we had to take high school-wise. We were able to fill a lot, but we’re not done probably at o-line and wide receiver. Pretty close to done defensively except at linebacker. There’s really good high school kids out there, but we’ll also see what’s available in January.” – Wright on position groups picked up early
“I think we’re at a in a position now to where we can be a little more selective with some things moving forward. As far as high school kids, transfer guys and those kinds of things instead of the position we were in all of last year (due to two portal periods).” – Wright on being intentional in the coming signing periods
Quick look at each signee:
Jared Bafford – 6-3, 293, OL – Oak Ridge – Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Played for Derek Rang at Oak Ridge…27-9 during his final three seasons with the Wildcats…entered his senior season as a 2-time all-region pick and honorable mention All-State as a junior…born March 2008…Son of Angelique and David Bafford…three siblings, Sarah, Kara and Jordan…chose Chattanooga over Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State.
Hamilton Black – 6-3, 270, OL – Lambert – Suwanee, Ga.
Played for Lambert High School under head coach Marc Beach…2-time all-region pick including first team honors as a senior…anchored the Longhorns offensive line at center in his two years at the school…also played basketball…born March 2008…son of Brian Black and Tara Glover…father Brian was a 4-year letter winner on the Georgia Tech basketball team…plans to major in Business…final college choice of Chattanooga came over ETSU, Samford and West Georgia.
Joseph Brigmon – 6-5, 210, TE – Bell County – Pineville, Ky.
Played for Dudley Hilton at Bell County…47-8 in his high school career…2-time first team All-District performer…strong senior season with 32 catches for 617 yards and 10 TD on offense…64 tackles with four interceptions and three pick-6s on defense…53 receptions for 1,182 yards and 15 TDs over his last two high school campaigns…was an All-Region and All-District performer on the baseball squad…born August 2007…son of Joey and Mindy Brigmon…one younger brother, Lane…mom Mindy played collegiate sports at Union Commonwealth…high school honor student…an outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting and fishing…chose Chattanooga over Eastern Kentucky.
AD Davis – 6-3, 195, DB – Blackman – Smyrna, Tenn.
Played at Blackman for Matt Kriesky…won 35 games in his prep career with a 23-4 mark over last two seasons…born July 2007…first name is A’Darien, but he goes by AD…son of Tomesha Jefferson and Rod Davis…has a brother Amarion and two sisters, Ayanna and Amya…planning to major in marketing…chose Chattanooga over Mercer and ETSU.
Dacian Davis – 5-11, 260, DL – Monroe Area – Monroe, Ga.
Played for Kevin Reach at Monroe Area High School…2-time All-State performer…2-way player as a defensive lineman and running back for the Hurricanes…250+ tackles including 88 for loss in high school career…40 TFLs as a senior…35 career sacks (39 games) with 12 each in junior and senior campaigns…425 rushing yards as a senior…also wrestled and competed in track & field…State Champion in the shot put…born November 2007…son of Shatara Odom-Barnes and Freddrick Davis…three siblings, Damydre, Damia and Damani…plans to major in Construction Management…nickname is Dada…Chattanooga was the pick over West Georgia and Shorter.
Kaden Edwards – 5-10, 160, DB – Pinson-Valley – Pinson, Ala.
Played at Pinson-Valley for James Thompson…played wide receiver and DB for PVHS…10 career interceptions and 26 pass breakups…3-time Trussville Tribune All-Defense first team…83 tackles from the corner position with 32 as a senior…also played basketball and ran track…born June 2008…son of Karla Borden and Rodrick Borden…middle child of seven: Kentrell, Jaiden, Christian, Ashton, Kaylee and Kari…older brother Kentrell Borden played collegiately as a wide receiver at Lindsey Wilson and Faulkner…plans to major in Mechanical Engineering…nickname is K9…chose the Mocs over Western Kentucky and North Alabama.
Kelby Glaze – 5-11, 185, RB – Lincoln County – Lincolnton, Ga.
Played at Lincoln County in Georgia for Lee Chomskis…44-8 in his high school career with his current Red Devils squad sitting at 13-0 and in the Georgia Class A Division II semifinals (Dec. 5)…exceeded 2,000 career yards and 30 TDs during his senior campaign…averaged more than 10 yards per carry over his last two full seasons…came into 2025 with 1,255 career rushing yards with 23 TDs…had 10 sacks on the defensive side of the ball as a junior…all-region as junior…also excelled in basketball and track & field…all-region on the hardcourt…region champ in the 4×100 relay (state runners-up)…born December 2007…son of Kelcey and Kizzy Glaze…three sisters, Kenchasela Jones, Kelcey & Kennedy…one brother, Montrevious…plans to major in Sport Management…collegiate choice came down to Chattanooga and Northern Illinois…from same high school as former Mocs defensive end Josh Beard, the 2009 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
Cruz Lee – 6-5, 230, DL – Northridge – Northport, Ala.
Played at Northridge for Ryan Lolley…played on the defensive line and at wide receiver during prep career…was named the team’s best wide receiver as a freshman and defensive lineman as a junior…also wrestled, competed in track & field and played basketball…ranked first in the state for the discus…born November 2006…son of Gaby Lee and Preston Lee…originally from Rialto, Calif., he was a National Honor Society student…plans to major in Information Technology…picked Chattanooga over South Alabama and Austin Peay.
Amari Matthews – 6-1, 160, DB – Wenonah – Birmingham, Ala.
Played at Wenonah High School in Birmingham for Nickolas Howard…3-year starter at safety…10 career interceptions with four each as a junior and senior…2-time all-conference pick earning 1st team as a senior while being named to second team as a junior…134 tackles over last two years with 77 as a senior…also competed in basketball, golf and track…born in August 2008…son of Sheena Holifield and Antonio Matthews…one of eight children (4 girls/4 boys)…college choice came down between Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky & Central Arkansas.
Daniel Oduola – 6-5, 230, DL – Hampton – Hampton, Ga.
Played for Chadwick Ashley at Hampton High School…played the last two seasons of high school helping the Hornets to a 15-7 mark…all-region as a senior…also played basketball…final college choice came down to Chattanooga, Navy, Air Force and Georgetown…born October 2007…son of Ola and Mary Oduola…high school honor student including the Georgia Merit Award.
Jayden Rush – 5-11, 180, DB – Franklin Road Academy – Nashville, Tenn.
Prepped at Franklin Road Academy playing for Coach Justin Giesinger…44-7 record in his career with the Big Blue heading into the 2025 TSSAA Division 2-AA Championship game…3-star prospect per 247sports…chose Chattanooga over offers from Tulane, Appalachian State, Arkansas State & Miami (Ohio) among a host of others…played on both sides of the ball at wide receiver and defensive back…also played basketball…born December 2007…son of Tiffany French and Johnny Rush…has one older brother.
Hayne Tobias – 6-3, 210, TE – Union Pines – Whispering Pines, N.C.
Played for Bryan Till at Union Pines in North Carolina…helped his team to a deep run in the North Carolina 6A Playoffs sitting at 11-1 and still in the hunt at the time of signing…2-time all-conference performer with senior year still up for grabs…entered 2025 with 59 catches for 821 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career…also an all-conference Lacrosse player…son of Brian and Julia Tobias…has six younger siblings, Natalie, Maggie, Kurt, Noelle, Wesley and Lilias…National Honor Society student in high school…plans to major in Finance.
