Like a cat stalking its prey, Stanley Asumnu was crouching down next to Robert Meachem.

He took a couple of steps, used that 42-inch vertical leap and swatted away a 35-yard field-goal attempt like it was Dane Bradshaw driving the lane for a layup.

"That was huge to get up that high," UT assistant football coach Trooper Taylor said. "They couldn’t throw me that high."

Asumnu is doing everything in his power to find his niche, prove his worth for the University of Tennessee football team.

"I’m just trying to use my athleticism to make plays," the former UT basketball player said. "It has been a great experience.

"I’m still learning, trying to stay positive and just working hard in everything I do."

In the meantime, he waits.

Asumnu joined the Vols late in spring practice in hopes of earning a football scholarship this fall.

His four years of basketball eligibility are up, but he has one more year of NCAA eligibility remaining in another sport.

Asumnu admitted he could graduate in December with the help of a scholarship, but without that financial aide, he didn’t know if he could afford school.

"I’m just praying and hoping Coach (Phillip) Fulmer gives me a scholarship," he said. "I’ll be honest, I can’t (afford it on my own) — for family reasons.

"It’s a tough situation. I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see what’s going to happen down the line."

Playing the waiting game isn’t anything new for Asumnu.

He waited through a stint at Hargrave Military Academy to get his much-awaited basketball debut at UT.

He waited through some serious ups-and-downs — including thoughts of transfer — to finally feel comfortable in his role for the Vols under coaches Buzz Peterson and Bruce Pearl.

Asumnu started 15 games as a senior, averaging 8 points and 3.2 rebounds as UT finished 22-8.

After the NCAA tournament second-round loss to Wichita State last March, Asumnu started thinking.

He thought about his Saturday afternoons watching games at Neyland Stadium. He remembered thinking, "I can do that."

"I used to come sit here and I’d be excited, like I’m a part of it," Asumnu said of his spectator days.

"I wondered, what if I was out there playing with them? Sometimes, I’d think I could make a play over a little DB if they’d throw it up to me."

So what if he hadn’t played football since the eighth grade.

He’s 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, jumps like a gazelle and he grew up in football-crazed Texas.

Asumnu got in touch with Fulmer and offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe asking for a chance to compete in the spring.

Some people saw it as a novelty act. Some people gave Asumnu little chance of succeeding.

Asumnu’s just trying to prove them all wrong. He’s already impressed Fulmer with his off-season work ethic.

"Stanley, I think, is just a fabulous story," Fulmer said. "He’s the type of young man — whether it be football or basketball — that college athletics is all about."

At UT’s media days, Fulmer told the story of going to work early one Saturday morning this summer and finding Asumnu already hard at work.

"I don’t know how he got in or how long he had been there," Fulmer said. "But he was in there in a (20-pound) weight vest running bags by himself ? a couple hours later, when I was leaving, he had the tennis ball machine hooked up, catching ball after ball."

He’s playing receiver right now, but the Vols’ coaching staff already has vowed to reduce its receiver rotation this year. Guys like Robert Meachem, Jayson Swain, Bret Smith, Lucas Taylor and several others are way ahead of Asumnu.

His most likely route to the field — and a scholarship — is on special teams.

"He’s got a spot on this football team," Trooper Taylor said. "Just his work ethic alone. The thing he has to learn is being consistent.

"He has a little thing where he’s Stanley one day, and he’s T.O. (Terrell Owens) the next. We need more T.O., and less Stanley."

Whatever it takes, Asumnu said.

"I just want to see how it goes and see what happens," he said. "God has a plan for me. I don’t know what that plan might be, but we’ll find out when the season is over with."