KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's wait for good news on signing day wasn't very long.
The Volunteers landed a player their 2016 signing class simply had to have shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday, when Peachtree Ridge High School safety Nigel Warrior picked Tennessee over a group of finalists that included Auburn, LSU, Alabama and Georgia.
Landing Warrior carries more weight given his family ties to the program.
He's the son of former Vol Dale Carter, who starred at Tennessee in 1991 and 1992 before going on to a 14-year NFL career.
"I'm going to continue my father's legacy at the University of Tennessee," Warrior said during his announcement ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Tennessee's 2014 and 2015 classes were loaded with legacy prospects such as Kahlil McKenzie, Todd Kelly Jr. and Evan and Elliott Berry, and the Vols got the best one in 2016.
"One of the best players in the state of Georgia," Vols coach Butch Jones said Wednesday afternoon. "To be able to add him, a legacy football player - he brings a lot to the table. His energy, his passion, his football intelligence, his love for the game can't be measured. Then obviously he's a very, very talented football player.
"The University of Tennessee means a lot to him. When you bring legacy players in, that helps. When you look at the culture of our football program, when I talk about our players being invested, there's great pride in here of being a Tennessee Vol, and that was evident with Nigel and that's been evident now throughout the building of our football program.
"That's really been helped by legacy players."
Carter was an All-America kick returner in 1990, when he led the nation with 507 yards and a 29.8-yard average, and he was a Thorpe Award finalist as one of the nation's top defensive backs. In two seasons he had 102 tackles and nine interceptions.
"You've got to get the legacy kids," Tennessee director of player personnel Bob Welton said after the Vols received Warrior's letter of intent. "There's no doubt. You've got to get the legacy kids, especially Dale Carter's son. That's a big get for us, and he's going to be a fun one to watch."
Warrior took official visits to each of his finalists in January and spent the last weekend in Knoxville.
Tennessee's staff was confident he would pick the Vols, who had to fend off a late push by Auburn.
"It wasn't just football," Warrior said, explaining his decision. "They weren't thinking about just football. They were thinking about real life. They were talking to me about school and the future and future things that would happen.
"They weren't just talking about football. They didn't just care about, 'Oh, let's look at him for football.' They showed that they cared."
It was enough for Tennessee to sign a player its 2016 class had to have.
"The kid's got confidence coming out of everything," Welton said. "Everything he does is confident. When he's here on his visit, he runs the room.
"He's a natural leader, and that's what you want in the back end running your defense, is a guy like this."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com