Cobbs likes what he sees at UT

DeMarco Cobbs isn’t going to rush into his college decision.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound wide receiver from Tulsa (Okla.) Central High School visited Tennessee last weekend.

Cobbs, who’s also considering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma, said UT had become his favorite school even before he took his visit.

He said he considered committing to the Vols during his trip but decided it wasn’t the right time.

“It somewhat crossed my mind but I wasn’t 100 percent,” he said.

That’s because Cobbs was afraid he might decommit once he returned home from his visit.

Cobbs said he’s seen too many prospects commit early only to change their mind later in the recruiting process.

“I don’t want to have coaches guessing,” he said. “I don’t like playing games.

“If I’m going to commit to a school I’m going to commit to a school and stick with it.”

UT would love to receive a commitment from Cobbs.

Rivals.com ranks him the No. 11 athlete in the country and the top prospect in Oklahoma.

The University of Oklahoma has signed the state’s top player the last six years.

The last time the No. 1 player in Oklahoma snubbed the Sooners was 2003 when receiver Robert Meachem signed with UT.

Since then the Vols have signed defensive tackle Chase Nelson, receiver Gerald Jones and tailback David Oku from Oklahoma.

Their decisions to choose UT caused Cobbs to pay more attention to the Vols.

“That played a huge thing in my decision as far as bumping (UT) up,” Cobbs said. “Oklahoma guys have been real successful there.”

Cobbs believes UT will be successful thanks to coach Lane Kiffin and his staff.

He said he enjoyed watching UT’s staff work during his visit.

“That coaching staff is ridiculous,” he said. “Think about it.

“You have future Hall of Fame coaches on there like coach Monte Kiffin and coach (Ed) Orgeron. They have a real good coaching staff.”

Cobbs said he plans to return to UT this fall for an official visit.

He said he hasn’t set dates on any of his official visits.

Follow Jerod: Freshman linebacker Jerod Askew believes he can help UT sign some of his former teammates at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va.

Quarterback Phillip Sims and defensive tackle Evan Hailes were both recruited by UT before they committed elsewhere.

Sims is committed to Alabama and Hailes to Penn State.

Still, Askew pointed out those commitments aren’t official until National Signing Day on Feb. 3.

“They’re really waiting for me to say how it is up here,” Askew said. “It’s great right now but you never know what will happen later on. Probably like two months from here I guarantee they’ll probably be up here.”

Bring The Payne: Defensive back Keion Payne has narrowed his list of schools to five.

The 5-11, 155-pound defensive back from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told EerSports.com he plans to take official visits to UT, Florida, Florida State, Miami and Ohio State.

Payne is a teammate of kicker Michael Palardy, who committed to UT last month.

UT is also recruiting St. Thomas tailback Giovanni Bernard and cornerbacks Lamarcus Joyner and Cody Riggs.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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