By Cohen Matney | Guest Writer

It’s a crisp fall Saturday at Hardy M. Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee when the UT Martin quarterback hands the ball to number 39. He cuts up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown.

Wearing number 39 is junior Tommy Ansley, the starting running back for the Skyhawks and one of the teams’ key players. Before the season, Ansley was named an OVC Preseason Player to Watch. By week two, he was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week. 

Before he came to Tennessee, he was a quintessential California kid. Ansley is from Palm Desert, California, and has been a fan of football from a young age. He was a fan of the San Diego/ Los Angeles Chargers and loved watching quarterback Phillip Rivers. He started playing flag football in fifth grade but did not play tackle until he started high school. After high school, he attended College of the Desert, a junior college in his hometown. When he decided to transfer after his freshman year, he knew that UT Martin was the right place for him. 

“So, when I was done with that year at Desert I’m looking to go to a four-year school. I just ended up aligning right with UT Martin,” he said. “I went on a visit and then kind of just really liked the tradition here. Coach Simpson’s been here 20 years; you know it’s hard to beat that. You don’t want to go somewhere a coach may be there for a year and then takes off.”

When Ansley moved to Tennessee, there were some different aspects of life he had to adjust to. He said there is a slower pace of life amongst the people in Tennessee than in California. He also noted the weather. He mentioned he had never woken up to snow before, and that he never had to worry about rain as much in California than in Tennessee. However, after seeing Ansley in action, you’d see why he fit right in at UT Martin. 

On the football field, Ansley has gained tremendous respect from the players he plays alongside. The team is glad to have Ansley as one of its leaders on the field, especially so for head coach Jason Simpson. 

“His attention to detail, his effort, is as good as any I’ve ever coached, really,” said Simpson. 

According to Simpson, Ansley is a very quiet guy. He said he does not talk very much, but is always going to do what is best for the team.

According to running backs coach Hunter Kendall, Ansley’s commitment to the game results in making plays that most others could not.

“Tommy, I think he’s a freak athlete in certain ways,” Kendal said. “He has crazy eye coordination, he makes certain catches; he can surprise you with certain moves that he can make here or there. Now, sometimes he looks goofy, but I do believe that he has a unique type of ability that people just don’t see, or people don’t really pay attention to.”

As the starting running back for the Skyhawks, Ansley is going to get most of the snaps in the game. According to Kendall, Ansley is always working out and practicing; and because of that, deserves the snaps he gets. Kendall said the other running backs below him in the depth chart understand why Ansley gets the snaps he does and it does not bother them; instead, the rest of the running backs look up to him as a brother, and they know that Ansley is going to be there if they need anything. 

When Ansley is done with his college career, he hopes to continue playing football as far as his career will take him, and then plans to return to the West Coast to become a strength coach. No matter where he works or which team he plays for, he will forever be a California kid.