Mom's support helped Warren wait for answer

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

University of Tennessee tight end Brandon Warren grabs a pass during practice Tuesday at Haslam Field. The NCAA ruled that the former Florida State freshman All-American tight end will be able to play this fall for the Vols.

If Brandon Warren's face was any indication, the news that he could finally play football after a year away from the game came as a relief.

A little after 9 o'clock Tuesday morning, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer pulled Warren and his position coach, Jason Michael, out of a tight ends meeting.

Fulmer explained that nearly three months after Tennessee first filed a hardship waiver on Warren's behalf, the NCAA had the answer everyone wanted to hear: The former Alcoa High School star and Florida State freshman All-American could suit up and play for the Vols this season.

"I was just happy it was over," Warren told reporters at a Tuesday evening press conference following practice. "It's been a long stressful process for me and my family. We're just happy it's over and the outcome came out positive."

Family - in particular Warren's mother, Deirdre - was the reason.

Warren spent 2007 away from football after leaving Florida State in February to be closer to his mother, who has dealt with complications since having a cancerous kidney removed in 2005.

The road back to college football has been a long one.

Warren enrolled at Pellissippi State Technical Community College last summer to begin making up for class work he missed by leaving FSU before the final semester of his freshman year.

In November, he won an appeal that released him from the National Letter of Intent he signed with Florida State in 2006 after an intense recruiting battle between the Seminoles and Tennessee.

He enrolled at UT in June and had been awaiting word on the waiver ever since.

"We're thrilled that Brandon became eligible this morning," Fulmer said. "I think it's a great compliment to him and the hard work he put into it. I know he's very pleased. I know his family is very pleased. They've been through a very hard time with his mother's illness and all the wait through this."

Warren, who began offseason workouts with the Vols in June after enrolling in summer classes, said his teammates helped him stay positive while waiting on the NCAA's decision.

"I got great teammates here," Warren said. "They made it easy for me. They accepted me with wide-open arms. If I have any problem, I have someone to talk to, besides coaches. They'll be there, but to have peers there by my side showed signs of a strong team."

Warren's eligibility only makes the Vols stronger on offense.

As a true freshman at Florida State in 2006, he caught 28 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown. He also developed a reputation as an athletic playmaker.

Warren is the kind of player first-year offensive coordinator Dave Clawson's scheme is designed to feature. And despite the uncertainty surrounding his eligibility, that's exactly what Clawson has been doing with Warren.

"You almost have to prepare two plans, one with him and one without him," Clawson said. "I think we're all excited that we can make these plans with him. We were just getting ready to work a whole lot more hours and have a plan A and a plan B.

"We can spend a whole lot more time on plan A now."

Since fall camp began Aug. 2, Warren has spent his time learning UT's offense.

Despite having a little less than three weeks of meeting and practices with coaches, Michael said Warren is progressing well.

"I think he's starting to play a little faster," Michael said. "His head was swimming a little bit early, like everybody. It's no different than Jeff Cottam and Luke Stocker back in the spring with a new offense.

"Now that he's learning those (terms), you can tell he's starting to become faster and more comfortable in what he's doing."

His impact could perhaps even extend to the defense.

"Coach Clawson kind of cringes when I say this, but we may even look at him a little bit as a pass rusher on third down," Fulmer said. "His plate's very full right now to learn the offense and get where he needs to get to... It's a really good player that's added to the (offensive) system."

But for Warren, perhaps the best part of the day came in the moment right after Fulmer delivered the good news.

With Warren nearby, Fulmer dialed Deirdre Warren to share the news.

"My mom, she's a warrior. I admire her just for sticking with me throughout this whole thing, my family, too. I definitely owe this to them," Warren said. "We're a tight family. Just seeing my family be there by my side through the ups and downs, it's a sign of a strong family. There's some love there, and I definitely appreciate it."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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