Once the pressure of a state-championship run is over, Zach Rogers is expected to declare he'll be a Tennessee Vol - just like his older brother.

Rogers, whose brother, Austin Rogers, is a sophomore receiver at UT, wasn't quite willing to confirm his plans to commit to UT following David Lipscomb's state-title game against Fulton at noon Saturday in Murfreesboro.

But don't be fooled; that announcement seems imminent.

"Pretty strong right now," the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder said of his interest in UT. "If I went there, I'd get to play with him (Austin) for a year."

"Tennessee's the frontrunner."

The Rogers brothers have never played football together.

An injury-plagued season last year opened up such a possibility when Austin Rogers was forced to redshirt.

Zach Rogers is a high school junior, meaning he would sign with UT as part of the Vols' 2009 class, allowing the brothers to play together later that season.

Like his older brother, Zach Rogers has played receiver and safety at David Lipscomb and hopes to play receiver in college.

Rogers has 28 catches for 650 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He also has rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries. Defensively, Rogers has five interceptions and 21 tackles.

"I've been told I'm faster than him but he's a lot better than me right now," the younger Rogers said when asked to compare the two brothers. "I hope to improve my skills when I get up there."

It's no surprise that Austin Rogers has been a driving recruiting force for the Vols to land another mid-state star.

"He loves it," Zach Rogers said, describing his brother's affinity for UT. "He wants me to come there as much as I want to go there."

Zach Rogers also has received college interest from Vanderbilt, Colorado and Rutgers.

On The Cobb: The Vols might be close to landing another prospect once this weekend's state title games are complete.

"It's starting to move a little bit, but I'm going to wait until after this week to really look into it," Alcoa High School quarterback Randall Cobb told the News Sentinel. "I've talked with Coach (Phillip) Fulmer a lot here lately and Coach (David) Cutcliffe a lot.

"There's a lot of things looking good over there, but for right now I'm going to focus on this week."

Alcoa plays Goodpasture on Friday. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Cobb could play quarterback, receiver or defensive back in college.

He originally committed to Kentucky this summer, in part because good friend Kyrus Lanxter signed with the Wildcats last February.

Jesse Smithey contributed to this report.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.