In the end, Sema'je Kendall said the decision of where he wanted to play college football came down to two schools: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and one of the Mocs' top rivals, Jacksonville State.
A 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety from Buckhorn High School in New Market, Ala., Kendall chose UTC, becoming the Mocs' 20th commitment for their 2011 signing class.
"I had to look at all my options and everything I had, and UTC was the best one for me," he said Wednesday. "It has everything I wanted in a college as far as facilities, education, the [Southern Conference] is good and it was where I felt good."
Kendall, named to the 2010 Huntsville Times Elite football team's first-team defense, said UTC had been recruiting him for about a year, whereas Jacksonville State didn't begin pursuing him until a few months ago.
"I really think I would have picked Chattanooga if they came in at the same time as Jacksonville State," Kendall said, "but it's always nice to build that relationship with the coaches."
The Mocs already have a safety from Buckhorn on their roster in rising senior Jordan Tippit.
"I text him all the time," Kendall said. "We're real tight."
Kendall is the second safety to commit this week, joining Cam Montgomery of Jones (Fla.) High School. National signing day is Wednesday.
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