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Brad Cottam (TE)
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 270
College: Tennessee
Conference: SEC
Hometown: Germantown, TN
High School: Evangelical Christian
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Choose Tight Ends Bennett, Martellus Carlson, John Cottam, Brad Davis, Fred Keller, Dustin OverviewAnalysisQ & AOverview
Overview
Staying on the football field has been the biggest challenge Brad Cottam faced during his five seasons at Tennessee.
Hoping to receive a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA after he underwent left wrist surgery prior to the 2007 season, he returned for the final five games of his senior campaign after he was denied that additional year.
Cottam had flashes of brilliance for the Volunteers. But he has undergone five surgical procedures and was also involved in a car accident that kept him off the football field at various times since arriving on campus in 2003. Along with his younger brother, 6-foot-8 Jeff, the Cottams gave the Volunteers the tallest tight end unit in college football.
At Evangelical Christian High School, Brad Cottam earned All-Metro Memphis private school team honors as a senior. He was a Super Southern 100 choice by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the state of Tennessee by Rivals.com, a recruiting service that rated him 44th among the nation's tight ends. The Knoxville News-Sentinel rated him the state's eighth-best prospect and the Kingsport Times-News had him ranked tenth on their Super 16 Class of 2003 squad.
Cottam served as team captain and was a two-year starter at tight end. During his final season, he had 24 receptions for 340 yards and five touchdowns. Against Harding Academy (Ark.), he caught a career-best five passes for 120 yards. He was also a standout basketball player, averaging more than 10 points each of his last two seasons.
Cottam enrolled at Tennessee in 2003, earning Academic Southeastern Conference Honor Roll recognition while spending the season on the scout team. He appeared in 13 games as a reserve tight end in 2004, coming up with two catches for 34 yards, as he missed spring drill action after undergoing thumb ligament surgery and then battled with a sore shoulder throughout fall camp and into the season.
The tight end underwent shoulder surgery that would sideline him for 2005 spring camp. He appeared in 11 games that season, but did not catch any passes, as he finished with one tackle playing on the special teams vs. Memphis. He again earned Academic All-SEC honors.
Cottam continued to play with shoulder issues in 2006, but managed to start six of the 13 games he appeared in. He snared fourteen passes for 182 yards (13.0-yard average), as his 45-yard reception vs. Vanderbilt was the longest catch by a Tennessee tight end since 2002.
Cottam again missed spring drills, as he spent the 2007 camp recovering from April sports hernia surgery. In August, he underwent left wrist surgery after tearing ligaments in fall drills. He did not return to action until the Arkansas clash on Nov. 10, appearing in the team's final five games. He finished with five receptions for 125 yards (25-yard average), registering his first career touchdown vs. Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.
Career Notes
Cottam started seven of the 38 games he played in at Tennessee...Caught 21 passes for 341 yards (16.2-yard average) and one touchdown...Also recorded three tackles (two solo)...His 45-yard reception vs. Vanderbilt in 2006 was the longest catch by a Tennessee tight end since Jason Witten's 48-yarder vs. Arkansas in 2002.
High School
Attended Evangelical Christian (Germantown, Tenn.) High School, playing football for head coach Jim Heinz...Earned All-Metro Memphis private school team honors as a senior...Super Southern 100 choice by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the state of Tennessee by Rivals.com, a recruiting service that rated him 44th among the nation's tight ends...The Knoxville News-Sentinel rated him the state's eighth-best prospect and the Kingsport Times-News had him ranked tenth on their Super 16 Class of 2003 squad...Served as team captain and was a two-year starter at tight end...During his final season, he had 24 receptions for 340 yards and five touchdowns...Against Harding Academy (Ark.), he caught a career-best five passes for 120 yards...Was also a standout basketball player, averaging more than 10 points each of his last two seasons.
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