Once the door is open, it’s hard to close.

Ricardo Kemp is Tennessee’s fifth football commitment. He, along with current Vols Bret Smith and RoShaun Fellows, becomes the third player in three years from Warren High School in Warren, Ark. to pick Tennessee over the in-state Razorbacks.

"I think that when Bret went to Tennessee, it opened up doors for more kids to go out of state," Warren head coach Bo Hembree said. "For Bret, it real tough. He was the number one (prospect) in the state. He waited till the last minute and it was real bad at the end. It’s hard for a guy to come out of south Arkansas."

"Everybody around here is going to tell you what to do. But you have to go where you’re going to be happy. Brett and Roshaun are up there and rarely come home. That tells me they love it. I think Ricardo (committed) early to avoid what happened with Bret."

Said Kemp: "It was real tough. Everyone around here wants you to stay in state. I know I’m going to hear it now that (the commitment) is out."

During Smith and Fellows' recruitment, colleges knew what positions they would both play. Smith was a prototypical wide receiver. Undoubtedly, Fellows was defensive back prospect. Kemp’s collegiate position is a much more uncertain.

"Ricardo brings so much more to the table as an overall football player," Hembree said. "Tennessee knew where they were going to play Roshaun and Bret. Ricardo moves really well laterally. He could be a defensive back or wide receiver. He can also return kicks."

As for Kemp, he said he has no preference.

"I don’t know for sure," Kemp said concerning his future at UT. "I’ll play defensive back or wide receiver. I’ll play wherever they want me to play. Mostly we’ve talked about wide receiver."

Hembree said he foresees Kemp developing into a player similar to former Vol Mark Jones. At 5-foot-10, 173 pounds, Kemp has Jones-like size and, according to Hembree, similar athletic ability.

As a sophomore, Hembree said Kemp intercepted eight passes and returned three for touchdowns. On offense, he caught 37 passes for 430 yards and six scores.

As a junior, Kemp was moved to running back to capitalize on his big play ability. He rushed for 1382 yards on 126 attempts for 21 touchdowns. He caught 39 passes for 650 yards and four touchdowns.

Hembree said Kemp will move back to wide receiver this year, his natural offensive position. He said the move to tailback was necessary after Warren lost 20 starters to graduation. Hembree said the move worked. Warren started 1-2 then won six games straight.

Kemp may not be the last Warren star to become a Vol. Kemp’s younger brother, Chris Alford, will be a sophomore this season. Hembree said Alford has exceptional speed and, with maturity, could develop into an SEC player.

Kemp said he currently has no plans to visit any other schools this fall beside UT. He also said he might pursue track at Tennessee if it can improve his speed. Hembree said Kemp is currently one of the top 10-12 academic students in his class. Kemp said he also plays baseball, basketball, and runs a limited track schedule.