Paul getting UT advice from Barnes

Paul is a 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla. Barnes, who committed to UT in September, is a 6-2, 195-pound safety/linebacker.

Paul, who will visit UT on Jan. 12, is considering the Vols, Florida State, Auburn, LSU, Miami and Clemson. He said he has no leader.

Paul said Barnes, who will accompany him to Knoxville next month, is his source of information about UT football.

"He really loves Tennessee," Paul said. "He's basically just telling me all the good things about Tennessee. He really knows much more about Tennessee than I do, so he'll just be telling me about what's happening and what's going on."

Paul said Barnes has been more than a resource of knowledge. He's also been a recruiter for UT.

"He's going all out with it," Paul said. "Me and Deshaun are real close. We're like brothers. We basically talk to each other about everything. He's just like, 'We can go there and just make Tallahassee look good.' "

Barnes committed to UT in September without any tie to the Vols. He said he hopes his commitment will influence Paul to give the Vols stronger consideration.

"I just tell him it's a good school," Barnes said. "I say, 'You need to come up with me.' The coaches really like him. You can't get much better than him."

Paul and Barnes took an unofficial visit to UT on Nov. 4 to watch the Vols play LSU. Paul said the experience at Neyland Stadium was different from any school he had visited before.

"It was just the atmosphere of the fans," he said. "You can tell that they really care about their players."

Paul could play offense or defense in college, but he said UT is recruiting him to play cornerback. He said has no preference.

"As long as I get on the field," he said.

Paul said he could still help UT on offense or special teams if the Vols needed him.

"They basically just tell me I'm a playmaker," he said. "I have real good speed and they like speedy players."

Paul has taken one official visit, to Auburn on Dec. 15. He said he didn't know he'd have so much fun on an official visit, especially because of the food.

"You eat a lot," he said. "People were telling me how much you eat but I didn't realize it was true. You can order anything you want to."

Paul said he also realizes the importance of using the visits to learn about the schools he's considering. He said he's relied on former Lincoln players for advice on handling his visits.

"They just told me to have as much fun as possible," he said, "but on the other hand study the coaches, study how they act with the kids and how the kids act with each other."

Paul has a strong tie to Auburn as well. Former Lincoln linebacker Craig Stevens is a freshman at Auburn, and teammates Mike Slade and Tim Lamb are committed to sign with the Tigers in February.

He said their presence at Auburn will be a factor in his decision.

"Everybody on the Lincoln team is real close," he said. "With them committed that lets you know that you're not going anywhere by yourself."

One tie that Paul said won't be a factor in his decision is his close proximity to Florida State.

"It's not really much of a draw," he said. "Basically it's about the same thing as the other schools. I'm giving everybody a shot."

Paul said after his trip to UT he will take three more official visits: Florida State on Jan. 19, LSU on Jan. 26 and Clemson on Feb. 2.