TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It's easy to hear the excitement in James Collins' voice when the subject of Tennessee football comes up.

It's obvious when listening to the Mobile, Ala., linebacker that he is determined to play football at UT.

It's not the same conversation that is so often heard when a prospect discusses his favorite school. Immediate playing time, a winning tradition, and academics aren't discussed.

Collins needs to play football at UT to fulfill a promise made last year. A promise made in response to losing his best friend, Tyler Gillespie, who was killed in a car wreck in 2001.

"I told his dad if I ever had a chance to go to Tennessee, I'd make sure that I'd go to Tennessee for him," Collins said. "They were from Knoxville, Tennessee. They even had a room (in their house) called Tennessee."

Collins met Gillespie in Pensacola, Fla. Shortly after Gillespie died, Collins moved to Mobile and enrolled at Blount High School.

The Gillespie family didn't hide their Volunteer spirit when they moved to the Florida panhandle, lodged between Gainesville, Fla., Baton Rouge, La., and the SEC football fans one would expect to accompany those areas.

Collins was impressed. By seeing UT through the Gillespies' eyes, he envisioned the possibilities.

"He cried and gave me a hug," Collins said when asked how Tyler Gillespie's father reacted to Collins' UT pledge.

For now, Collins can only wait as UT's coaches evaluate hundreds of prospects across the nation. Collins is a commitment without a scholarship and a young man hoping to fulfill a promise.

"That's what I'm waiting on," he said of a possible UT scholarship offer. "I just found out they were interested last week."

UT isn't the only school interested. Florida, Iowa State, and Washington State are some of the schools that have offered Collins a scholarship. Collins' college interest was slowed by an ankle injury last season that limited him to seven games and 79 tackles.

The stocky Collins was not satisfied with his 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds in Sunday's Nike camp. Still, not bad for a 230-pound linebacker that bench-pressed 185 pounds 28 times and relies on the strength that he has packed on to his sub 6-foot frame.

"I stay low to the ground," Collins said. "I can squat well over 500 pounds and that helps me with the big fullbacks."

Collins is not the usual prospect. It's not often that a young man lives most of his life in Florida, compares himself to former Georgia linebacker Odell Thurman, lives in Alabama, and is steadfastly determined to play football for UT.

"Tennessee," Collins quickly retorts to the contradictions. "I love Tennessee."

Dave Hooker covers recruiting and may be reached at hookerd@knews.com.