Vols lead for 2014 DB

Nicholas Ruffin won't sign a letter of intent for almost two full years, but for the Atlanta (Ga.) St Pius sophomore cornerback one program already stands out.

And he calls it his leader.

"Right now, it's Tennessee," Ruffin said. "Tennessee has definitely impressed me the most."

How come?

"I guess it's because how efficiently they operate, how professional they are and how well they treat their players," Ruffin said. "They're not just focused on athletics. They want to make sure the players are academically sound as well."

Ruffin visited the Volunteers last fall.

"I went there during the season when they played LSU," he said. "It was a wonderful experience. I definitely enjoyed it a lot. I got a good feel for what it's like to be in the SEC atmosphere, and being around the fans."

Ruffin went on to describe Vols coach Derek Dooley as "very classy, very intelligent."

According to the 6-feet, 180-pound Ruffin, he also has offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Ole Miss. The Seminoles offered earlier this week, he said.

"[FSU assistant] Dameyune Craig said he took a look at my highlight tape and was very impressed with what he saw," Ruffin said. "I went to camp there last summer. He thought when I was there, I was just a receiver. He said he sees I can play corner and that I'm very versatile. I'm definitely interested. They have a very solid program. It's very historic. I was kind of shocked by the offer. I appreciate it. It lets me know my hard work isn't going in vain."

At the moment, Ruffin doesn't have any upcoming trips set in stone. He said he might visit Florida on March 17.

Ruffin had 46 tackles with two interceptions in 2011. He also played some receiver.

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.