Donald a hit from day one

When her son began to show promise as a first baseman, it greatly pleased her.

Then, one fateful day when he was in the seventh grade, Chris Donald informed his parents he didn't care so much for the national pastime after all.

He wanted to play football.

Theresa was unimpressed.

"I thought football was rough. It was just violent," Theresa, a first-grade teacher at the Huntingdon Primary School, says with an audible shudder. "I was worried about him getting hit by people and getting hurt.

"After his freshman year, though, I was worried about him hurting someone else. He could take care of himself, which I didn't realize at first."

Now the consensus No. 1 senior prospect in Tennessee, and one of the top 25 high school players in the country, Chris Donald can't remember the details surrounding his first big hit.

But the Tennessee-bound linebacker and Parade All-America selection from Huntingdon High School -- located about 115 miles northeast of Memphis -- certainly remembers how it felt.

"As soon as I hit somebody, I loved it," he said. "My mom was scared. She didn't want her baby getting hit by the big old boys. I figured everyone's got to take their licks sometimes."

More often than not since he played his first game of tackle football six years ago, Donald's been the one dishing out the hits.

The 6-2, 220-pound linebacker, who plans to sign a letter of intent with the Vols on Wednesday, the first day of the football signing period, hopes to follow in the footsteps of another famous West Tennesseean.

While Donald only decided to cast his lot with Tennessee after giving serious consideration to Notre Dame, he grew up cheering for the Vols. One of his favorite players, unsurprisingly, was Al Wilson, the former Jackson Central-Merry star who helped Tennessee to the 1998 national title and is now an All-Pro with the Denver Broncos.

"It's a great honor to be compared to him," Donald said of Wilson. "I modeled myself after him and (former UT linebacker) Kevin Burnett."

A standout running back who rushed for more than 1,500 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons at Huntingdon, Donald helped the Mustangs to the 2003 Class AA state title as a freshman in 2003 and to a runnerup finish the following year.

Although his senior year was ruined by a hamstring injury, he performed well enough on the summer camp circuit to retain his lofty prospect ranking.

"What he does is, he doesn't do anything wrong, and that's a good thing," says Scott Kennedy, Scout.com's director of combines and programs. "He doesn't do anything to draw attention to himself except make plays."

As big as Donald undoubtedly is in Huntingdon, a town of about 5,000 in Carroll County, it took a while before the extent of his talent registered in his own home.

"I couldn't see it. I knew he was OK, but there are a lot of good players in the world," Theresa said. "When all the coaches started coming in, I started thinking, 'Maybe he is terrific.'"

Donald's coach at Huntingdon, Mike Mansfield, knew early on that he had something special. It led him to promote Donald to the varsity as a ninth-grader.

"In the championship game in '03, he was a freshman and he was playing like a dadgum senior. He was not intimidated at all," Mansfield said. "The biggest games is when he plays his biggest. That's the sign of a great athlete. ... He's a can't-miss."

The nation's top college coaches agreed.

Tennessee fought off the advances of Notre Dame and Alabama, among others, to secure a commitment from Donald.

The player's recruitment was not without its tense moments. Mansfield recalls then Notre Dame defensive coordinator Rick Minter and Tennessee assistant Matt Luke showing up at the school at the same time for a visit.

"That was a little awkward," Mansfield said with mock understatement.

Donald seemed destined for Knoxville until his parents suggested he give Notre Dame a closer look.

"At first it was all UT because he loved the Big Orange Country," Theresa said. "His father (Neal Donald) and I talked him into going on a visit to Notre Dame. He really liked it and he was torn between the two places."

Donald ultimately said Tennessee was "where I felt most at home."

He plans to room with fellow linebacking recruit and Christian Brothers standout Chris Walker, whom he met during an unofficial visit at the Florida game last season.

"We were gonna (commit) at that game, but then we talked to our parents and they told us to hold out," Walker said. "But we knew we were gonna go to Tennessee."

In Donald, Mansfield said the Vols will get a player who is as solid a citizen as he is a linebacker.

"He's obviously an outstanding athlete," the coach said, "but he's just as outstanding a kid as far as character and the type of person he is."

Donald is certainly a favorite of his mother's first-graders.

"He comes by the room for money and gives the kids high-fives. They love him to death," Theresa said. "They'll say, 'Miss Theresa, I saw Chris and he talked to me!'"

Donald laughs at the tale.

"When I see the smiles on the kids' faces coming up to me, that's pretty much what it's all about," he said. "Having fun, trying to make people happy and, hopefully, getting to the next level."