Having been on the job for less than two weeks, new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling coach Heath Eslinger is hard at work putting together the pieces that will make up the 2009-10 Mocs squad. 

Hired on July 11, 2009, Eslinger returns to his old stomping grounds where he was a three-time Southern Conference Champion from 1998-00.  He was also the SoCon Wrestler of the Year for the Mocs as a senior in 2000. 

Following graduation, Eslinger spent two years working as an assistant at his alma mater under former head coach Terry Brands from 2002-04.   He spent the last three years building Cleveland High School (Cleveland, Tenn.) into one of the top high school wrestling programs in Tennessee.

With only a few weeks left before the fall semester begins, Eslinger is getting to know his current team, finalizing the 2009-10 schedule, putting together a strong staff of assistant coaches and getting to know the ins and outs of running a Division I wrestling program. 

GoMocs.com decided to catch a quick few minutes with the busy new coach to see how he was adjusting to his new position. 

So, how are you settling in as the new head coach of Chattanooga Mocs Wrestling?

Eslinger:  “It is going good.  I am enjoying it.  I feel like things are going well.  I am getting to know the kids and just trying to have some fun with them.  I am also trying to give them a chance to get to know me.  At the same time, I want to make sure I have my hands wrapped around all of the elements that are involved with running a Division I program.”

Has your phone been ringing off the hook since you were hired?

Eslinger:  “A little bit.  The good thing is most people don’t have my cell phone number yet.  It can be hard to get a hold of me, but I still get messages every morning.  I think, for the most part, everyone that follows the program locally knows me.  It is not a situation where everyone wants to meet the new coach, because most fans alumni and supporters in the wrestling community in Chattanooga already know me.”

“The best part has been the calls from guys I wrestled with, who are not in the area, that reached out to congratulate me on the job.  I think them identifying with me has also been a good thing.  They feel like they can call because we have a connection and it has allowed some of the alumni to get back in touch with the program.”

“I have also gotten a lot of calls and congratulations from other coaches across the country.  The college wrestling community seems to be excited to see someone at Chattanooga who is hopefully going to provide some stability to the UTC wrestling program.  Division I wrestling needs stability and a solid foundation and I think other coaches and people involved with collegiate wrestling are hoping that I can provide that at UTC.”

What was your first thought when you walked through your office door for the first time at the head coach at UTC?

Eslinger:   “Clean up!  I am a neat-freak.  I have to get stuff out of my office and the locker room that is not useful.  We had a work day last Saturday to just get things in order.  We cleaned out the locker room, the wrestling room and the offices.  We moved out a lot of stuff that we don’t use.  We had to get it to a point where we could actually go to work.  I feel like we are there now.”

“I think the other thing I realized walking through the office door was I have to get help in here quick.  One guy can’t do this job by himself.  I am working hard at getting a staff in place and getting help in here as quickly as possible.”

What is your timeline on finalizing your staff for next season?

Eslinger:  “We are going through the process right now.  I would like to be able to make an announcement in the next week to 10 days and then have them in place before school starts.  I need to have them here for that first week of school and I think that is very feasible.”

There were over 60 people at the press conference last weekend to announce your hiring.  What are your thoughts on that and what does that say about the interest in the program?

Eslinger:   “It was great.  People in Chattanooga are interested in this program and I just think it generated some excitement.  It was a bold move by UTC to go hire a high school coach, but I think the community responded by showing up and showing support, not only for myself, but also for the entire program.”

“You look at what coach (Russ) Huesman has done for the energy and enthusiasm surrounding the football program.  The football alumni are excited about the fact that he played here and wanted to be here.  I think that is the same feeling the wrestling alumni have when they see an alum leading their program.  It certainly has sparked some excitement.  New we just have to take that and build on it for next year and the future.’

What do you think is the biggest change in collegiate wrestling from when you were competing and coaching?

Eslinger:  “I think there is more parity in college wrestling than when I was involved.  I think you are seeing a lot of smaller programs that are doing really well because there is a huge number of student-athletes out there who want to participate.”

“The profile of UTC wrestling has also grown.  Partly because there are so few programs out there for kids to choose from and partly because we have had some big-time names coach the program in the last few years.  Terry Brands was a big shot in the arm for UTC wrestling.  He brought a lot of national recognition to Chattanooga and that was carried over when Chris Bono was the head coach.  They are big names in this business and during their time here, they raised the level of Chattanooga wrestling.  Now it is our job to continue to build on what they have done.” 

“It seems like people all over the country know about Chattanooga wrestling because it is a place where they can go and compete at the Division I level and be successful.  When I was competing, I think people in other parts of the country knew a little bit about UTC.  When I was coaching here, it was moving in the direction of becoming more nationally recognized.  Now, because of our success and the fact that there are so few programs out there and so many who want to wrestle, kids know us.  People all across the country know that Chattanooga has a strong wrestling program and the Mocs are an opportunity they can pursue.”

What is your approach to coaching and how will that change in your move from high school to the collegiate level

Eslinger:  “I don’t think my philosophy changes.  My philosophy is to build men.  You are molding young men in to being better grown men.  That doesn’t matter if you are doing it from 16 to 18 or 18 to 22.  Wrestling is an element that is involved in that process, but it is not the sole focus of that process.  If you just focus on the wrestling, eventually all of the other parts of the person that you have ignored will come back to hurt the wrestling. 

“I want to make guys better students, better socially, better athletically and better spiritually.  They are going to wrestle for four or five years and hopefully live another 60 years after that.  We need to make sure we are providing them with the skills to be successful not only in their wrestling careers, but also as productive citizens and alumni of UTC.”

“I always try to make sure that I am teaching kids the skills they need to help handle the curveballs life is going to throw at them after they graduate.  It is about building the total person.  Sports is the greatest avenue to do that, wrestling just happens to be the one I work with.  To me that is the fun part of this whole job.”

“The biggest change for me will come in my day-to-day activities.  Normally, I am teaching classes during the day.  Here I am making sure they are in class and are on track academically.  Also, in high school I am working with the kids that I get.  Here I get to choose the student-athletes I want to come and represent our program.  Being able to recruit kids who fit your mindset and want to be a part of your program is a huge advantage.”

Another big change from high school to college is the NCAA compliance rules.  How is your reading coming along concerning the NCAA Compliance Manual? 

Eslinger:  “In all aspects of life there are certain rules you have to know and follow and these are another set of rules.  I have to learn what the rules are, what has changed since I was last in college coaching and make sure I follow them.  I did pass the recruiting test, but it is still going to be an ongoing process, just like it is for all coaches in all sports.  We have a great compliance staff here in the administration at UTC and they have been great working with me to make the adjustment.”

What do you know about the current team and have you had a chance to get to know them?

Eslinger:  “I have gotten to know them a little bit over the last few days.  We have worked on the locker room together.  We went to the lake last weekend and some played Frisbee golf earlier in the week.”

“I think the potential of this team is unbelievable.  I think we have several All-American candidates on our team and they are working hard this offseason.  There are more guys in town and working out than I thought.  The opportunity is unbelievable, we just have to channel it through March.” 

How about your schedule for next season, how is that coming together?

Eslinger:  “I am waiting to finalize one more match.  Hopefully we will have an announcement on that in the next few weeks.”