Josh Hawkins has reminded some of an all-time Tennessee great. But he prefers a different comparison.

"The coaches at UT compare me to James 'Little Man' Stewart," the 6-foot-1, 190-pound tailback from Loudon High School said. "But I like to compare myself to my dad."

Stewart, who played at UT from 1991-94, is the school's No. 2 all-time leading rusher. Lonnie Hawkins, Josh Hawkins' father, played at Loudon from 1969-72 before heading to Tennessee Tech.

"He's always telling me where I should make a cut, or that I'm too high or I'm not hitting the hole hard enough," the younger Hawkins said of his father. "I have no problem with him telling me what he thinks because it could help me in the long run."

The tailback tutelage has paid off. Josh Hawkins rushed for 1,492 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as a junior last season.

He already has scholarship offers from Kentucky and West Virginia, and has received strong interest from Georgia Tech, Louisville, Alabama, Auburn and UT.

"They're a great family," Loudon head coach Jeff Harig said. "Lonnie's a great guy. He comes to practice a lot, and he picks the right time to put his two cents in."

UT still is evaluating Hawkins. The Vols don't have much room for tailbacks in the 2007 class, which makes Hawkins athletic ability intriguing.

Hawkins said he's being recruited by the Wildcats and Mountaineers to play tailback but would be willing to listen to other opportunities from other schools. Hawkins has played tailback, strong safety, cornerback and wide receiver in high school. Defensive back seems like a possibility in college.

"I'd be willing to play any other position if we're talking about playing time or helping the team out," he said.

UT has definitely shown sincere interest. Harig said UT recruiter Dan Brooks and defensive coordinator John Chavis seem particularly intrigued.

"Coach Brooks tells me he's real high on their list but they haven't offered a tailback yet," Harig said.

Hawkins doesn't have much experience for schools to judge his defensive ability. He played defense last year before Harig decided early in the season that his star player was just too valuable at tailback. That left very little highlight tape material for Loudon to send to prospective schools.

Harig isn't surprised that Hawkins has become one of the top prospects in East Tennessee. Harig saw the potential when he was a physical education teacher in elementary school.

"I knew in the second grade he was going to be a great athlete," Harig said.

College coaches may struggle to get in touch with Hawkins. He's extremely busy. Not only is he a star football player, he also plays basketball and baseball.

Just as he finished this interview, he was off to baseball practice, where he's a centerfielder with a .310 average. The demanding schedule has kept Hawkins under 200 pounds, Harig said.

"He's never really trained year round for football because he's a three-sport athlete," Harig said. "He's lean right now. I'd say he can maintain his speed as a 210 to 215 (pound) type player."

The offer from West Virginia, one of the hottest programs in the nation, could get some other colleges to take notice.

"It surprised me really," Hawkins said. "I had hardly heard anything from them. My coaches went to the coaches' clinic up there and took my tape.

"They liked what they saw and offered me."

Hawkins said the Mountaineers plan to keep him at tailback. That, however, might not be enough to get him to Morgantown.

"I'm really interested in UT, Alabama and Georgia Tech," Hawkins said. "That would probably be my top three."