Well before he blossomed into a 6-foot-2, 230-pound five-star recruit and the top tight end prospect in the country, Brandon Warren was just a football fan.

A Florida State fan. And on Monday, he chose the school he grew up adoring over local favorite Tennessee.

"Going down the halls at (FSU's) facilities, pictures up everywhere, I knew them all, I watched a lot of them play," said Warren, who caught 24 passes for 478 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine regular-season games for Alcoa High School this season on his way to becoming the Class 2A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year.

"I feel like I'm not only playing for Florida State — I'm playing for Peter Warrick; I'm playing for Warrick Dunn; I'm playing for Michael Boulware, all those great players."

Monday night as Warren sat on the set of the HoundDogs Locker Room show, nervous was all over his face.

"Even I'm nervous," said teammate Joei Fiegler, who attended the taping along with Logan Love.

For Warren, Monday was a microcosm of the last two months: torn between hometown Tennessee and the chance to fulfill a childhood dream.

As Warren was taping his announcement, he stumbled over the words — "the University of Florida State" — and asked for a second take.

Thanks to the magic of television, Warren's slip-up was edited out for the version that aired about an hour later.

The emotion behind it, though, was true.

"At one point I was (going to Tennessee)," Warren said. "For about two months I was going to Tennessee or Florida State — both of them."

Now that it's all over with and Warren has cast his lot — and the signature that follows Wednesday — with the Seminoles, the relief was overwhelming.

After his announcement was over, Warren was visibly relieved and relaxed. He seemed confident of his choice.

"I'm 15 minutes away from home. 'Why not stay home?' That's going to be a lot of people's questions. Why not? It's the perfect fit for me. I've got to be selfish in this situation. I feel like I made the right decision."

Even as afternoon turned into evening on Monday, Warren had his doubts.

But as he sat in the car with Love, a close friend and teammate, that quiet little voice found him.

The two were talking quarterbacks — Florida State's Drew Weatherford and Tennessee's Jonathan Crompton and Erik Ainge — when Warren heard a beep from his phone.

"I opened it up and it said, 'Weatherford looks down field, hits Warren, goes in for a touchdown,' " he said. "It just seemed so right. Everything seems so right."

Warren had had a cell phone for about a month. During that stretch, he's received more than 450 text messages, but FSU tight ends coach John Lilly's words found him at the right time.

Just recently, his jersey number — No. 1 — became available when its previous owner was kicked off the team at Florida State. At Tennessee, Jayson Swain has that number locked up for another year.

"Not that that's good, but he wore No. 1 and I wanted that," Warren said. "I'm a real big believer in that kind of stuff."

Ultimately, though, what set him at ease was the support of friends and family who knew he always dreamed of playing for the Seminoles.

Perhaps the biggest plus for Tennessee was proximity. His family could have attended every home game. Tallahassee is nearly 500 miles away.

But with the blessing of his family, Warren chose FSU.

"They told me, 'Just do what you want to do. It's for you,' "he said. "I'm a family guy — we're so tight as a family — I just had to get it off my chest and go my own way this time."

Drew Edwards covers high school sports. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.