McGruder chooses Vols

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Feb. 4, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

The roller coaster recruiting saga of Cheyenne High School football star Lynn McGruder finally came to an end Thursday night when he announced he would sign a national letter of intent with the University of Tennessee today.

The 6-2, 290-pound McGruder, a member of the Sun's Super 11 first team and a second-team all-USA Today pick, selected the Vols over UNLV, Texas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

"This is it," McGruder, who had previously committed to the Vols last Saturday only to change his mind hours later, said. "It's a gut feeling. I feel at peace with it this time."

McGruder sounded close to signing with John Robinson's Rebels while talking with a reporter on Wednesday afternoon. But after meeting with his pastor, Michael Lowery of the Berean Christian Fellowship Church, for two hours later that night, he swayed back to the Vols.

"It still felt right when I got up this morning," McGruder said. "Then I got together and prayed again this afternoon (with Lowery). He asked me what I was feeling. I told him I was still thinking Tennessee. And he said, 'That's your answer.' "

Some Internet recruiting sites had incorrectly reported that McGruder's mom, Lenice Mims of Palestine, Texas, had refused to sign the letter of intent the first time he decided to commit to Tennessee. Ex-UNLV star Hunkie Cooper, McGruder's legal guardian, will co-sign the letter today.

"That stuff on the Internet was bogus," McGruder said. "My mom wanted me to make my own decision and said that she'd support me. I just got off the phone with her and she said she is glad it's over. She said, 'I guess I have to get some plane tickets to Tennessee now.' "

As for UNLV making a late run, McGruder said, "Coach Robinson himself said he knew it was a long shot when they started recruiting me. But they did a nice job and made it tough for me to decide. But I decided it was time to go to someplace new and try and establish my own identity."

McGruder, a defensive tackle, joins a Tennessee recruiting class rated in the top five nationally by most recruiting services.