Sykes visits Florida State; UT next

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end from Alcoa High School will host UT head coach Phillip Fulmer for an in-home visit Wednesday. Then, Sykes will take his official visit to UT’s campus Friday.

The Seminoles hosted Sykes for an official visit in Tallahassee, Fla. last weekend.

"It’s a beautiful city," Sykes said. "I got a chance to go into the stadium. It was everything that I thought it was. I got to have fun."

Sykes was hosted by former Tornado Brandon Warren, who signed with Florida State in 2006 after a prolonged recruiting battle between the Vols and Seminoles. Sykes said he and Warren are closer than just average teammates.

"We grew up together," Sykes said. "We played on the same teams from little league up."

Now, the tables have turned for Warren. UT was promising significant improvement following a 5-6 season in 2005. Now, Warren is trying to convince Sykes that FSU’s 7-6 season is a thing of the past.

"He just told me that they were very young last year," Sykes said. "There’s a lot of work that needs to be done but they have the potential to have an awesome year next year."

Asked if there’s a leader for his services, Sykes said he’s "still in the neutral zone." The News Sentinel’s second best prospect in Tennessee didn’t even offer a hint as to where he might be leaning. Sykes only restated that his decision would become public Feb. 7, National Signing Day.

"I’m not letting anybody know until I sign that paper," Sykes said with a chuckle, referring to his letter of intent. "I’m stingy. I just don’t like everybody in my business."