Tennessee's football coaches traveled a long road to secure a commitment from Dorian Davis.

"I'm very excited," Davis said. "You can't be more excited than I am. It's like a dream come true."

Davis said he will take his official visit to UT on Jan. 20. He visited Knoxville unofficially for the Georgia game on Oct. 8.

"Tennessee got on him early," Iowa City High School coach Dan Sabers said of his 6-foot-1, 200-pound linebacker, who committed to UT this weekend. "They were real aggressive and Dorian struck up a good feeling about them early on."

Sabers said the Iowa City, Iowa star is known for his physical approach to the game as a linebacker and fullback.

"He's definitely an impact player," Sabers said. "He really brings a physical presence. At fullback, he clears out the linebacker. Defensively, when he comes up, the ball carrier is usually done.

"He's an all-over-the-field type of guy."

Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State recruited Davis. Sabers said he expected a scholarship offer from those schools soon. UT's offer, which came late last week, might have beaten them to the punch.

"They made it clear to him that they wanted him early," Sabers said of the Vols. "That's what made this all happen."

Sabers said Davis specialized in roaming the middle of the field defensively as he helped his team to a 19-4 record in his two years as a starter.

UT is recruiting Davis to play linebacker. He could be a natural fit at middle linebacker in UT's 4-3 scheme.

UT coaches Greg Adkins and Steve Caldwell recruited Davis. He is UT's 13th commitment for the 2006 class. National Signing Day is Feb. 1.

Surprising Spartan: UT's coaches had to be somewhat surprised by Nehemiah Warrick's decision to play at Michigan State. Then they likely realized, it was all academic.

A source close to Warrick's recruitment told the News Sentinel last Monday that the 6-2, 205-pound defensive back enjoyed his official visit to Knoxville last weekend and would likely declare his intentions to attend UT shortly after returning to Kansas.

Warrick, however, faced more stringent academic requirements had he decided to attend UT instead of Michigan State. The SEC requires more English and math credits than the Big Ten for junior college transfers.

Warrick is a junior college prospect from Hutchison Community College in Hutchison, Kansas. He could not be reached for comment.

New Commitment?: UT is still evaluating LaMarcus Thompson from Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. The 6-1, 210-pound linebacker had reportedly committed to UT this weekend. Those reports are premature pending UT's final evaluation.