Lennon Creer is getting ready to hit the road.

The running back from Tatum (Texas) High School said he will visit Tennessee on the weekend of July 28. Creer said he will also take visits to Florida and Miami before the end of the month.

"I want to go checkout the colleges and see what they have to offer," the 6-foot-1, 202-pounder said. "I want to see what kind of coaching staffs they have and sit down and talk with the coaches and get to know them."

Creer said he is also considering Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, two schools he has already visited. He said he has no leader but plans to announce his decision in August after finishing his trips.

Creer said he’s been interested in UT since wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor visited his high school in the spring. Creer said he believes Taylor would make him feel at home in Knoxville.

"He’s a family guy," Creer said. "He said he’ll treat me like his own if I come up there. That’s very important."

Creer said he’s done his own research on UT to learn more about the program.

"They have a lot of tradition up there," he said. "They have one of, if not the winningest college coaches (head coach Phillip Fulmer). I think they’re going to be pretty good."

Creer said he is looking for a school that offers immediate playing time. He said UT should have it in 2007.

"They had a lot of guys get hurt," he said. "They’re looking for a big playmaker at the running back position."

Creer’s reason for wanting early playing time is simple. It’s all he knows.

"I’ve never sat on the bench," he said. "I feel like I’m physically and mentally prepared right now to play. I just have to grasp the system."

One Texas prospect who won’t be accompanying Creer to UT is G.J. Kinne. Creer said the quarterback from Gilmer High has eliminated UT and is now only considering Florida and Baylor.

UT received a commitment from quarterback B.J. Coleman from McCallie in Chattanooga last month, which may have diminished Kinne’s interest in the Vols.

Creer seemed anxious to make his commitment next month. He said an August announcement should make for a less stressful senior year.

"I won’t have to think about it during the season," he said. "I don’t want it to be a distraction. That’ll be a big burden off my shoulders."