Oku sticks to word

In the end, David Oku of Lincoln (Neb.) East said he felt like he had to stick with his word.

Oku, the nations' No. 1 all-purpose back, told Rivals.com Thursday evening he has signed his national letter of intent with Tennessee, the school he originally committed to early in the recruiting process before he opened his recruitment again and looked at schools like Auburn, Syracuse, Ole Miss and others.

"I signed and faxed my papers in about 7:30," said Oku, who moved recently from Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert to Nebraska to focus on academics.

"I felt like I had to stick with my word. I really feel like the offense is going to be a good fit for me, and the coaches also made me feel really comfortable."

Oku originally committed to Tennessee back on Oct. 18, but then he backed out of it after the coaching change in Knoxville. He later took an visits to Syracuse and Auburn after earlier visiting Tennessee, Nebraska and Louisville. Ole Miss and Clemson were also somewhat involved, but in the end, he decided to sign with Tennessee.

"Sometimes you know how you get cold feet, and that's kind of what happened here," Oku said.

"But I also have a great relationship with Gerald Jones since he's from Oklahoma, too. He's going to be there for a while, and I'll be able to look to him for guidance and support.

"But I'm done now. All the worries are gone. I'm excited to be a Vol."