Daryl Vereen came to Knoxville knowing little about the Vols. Then, the speedy tailback departed knowing he wanted to be one.

The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder from North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, N.C. came to Tennessee’s senior camp last weekend armed with nearly as many questions as a recruiting reporter.

"How big is the stadium?" and "Did you sign a tailback last year?" were just two inquiries.

The answers were "real big" and "no". Last season, UT signed one high school tailback, Dustin Lindsey from Alcoa. But he will be forced to attend a prep school this season and is expected to play linebacker when he finally arrives in Knoxville next summer.

"That was a big plus," Vereen said concerning the lack of running backs with a one-year head start. "I didn’t know how much their stadium seated until I saw it. There was just a lot of stuff I didn’t know."

Vereen also questioned some current UT players: sophomore wide receiver Josh Briscoe and senior cornerback Jonathan Wade. Again, the responses were positive.

"They said all good stuff about Tennessee," Vereen said. "That helped my decision. It was real important."

Vereen had already received scholarship offers from South Carolina and N.C. State and was told that formal invitations from Clemson and North Carolina were forthcoming.

Still, he said he felt a bit overlooked after having missed the beginning of the 2005 season with a broken hand.

"Two or three of those games would have been real rack-up games," said Vereen, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season.

Vereen will have this senior season to boost his ranking among other tailbacks in the southeast but that won’t affect his college decision. He left Knoxville confident that he and UT were a good match.

"They kept saying they know what to do with speed," Vereen said. "I like to use my speed and I look for cutback lanes. I’m very explosive. When I see the hole I hit it hard."

Perhaps the only thing quicker than a Vereen run is his ability to make up his mind.

"It’s really just like a load off of my shoulders," he said. "I really wanted to get my decision done before the season started.

"I was just really happy I was able to do that."

© 2006, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.