Martez Durrah woke up Christmas morning and decided that giving really is better than receiving. So the East Hamilton defensive back called the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coaches early Thursday and gave them his commitment.
“I really like Coach (Will) Healy and the rest of the staff, so I just decided to call him and let him know that I was ready to commit,” Durrah said. “I fell in love with UTC, the family atmosphere they have, and it’s my hometown school so my family can come watch me play.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Durrah, who projects to play safety or cornerback for the Mocs, had other offers or was being heavily recruited by Tennessee State, East Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State and Indiana.
This season he had 65 tackles, four forced fumbles, two fumbles returned for touchdowns and an interception for the Hurricanes. A sprinter who has been timed in the high 4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash, he said he doubts he will make any other visits.
“I’m pretty well set on UTC,” Durrah said. “The season they had this year had a strong impact on my decision, and I feel like I can help them continue building something there to stay a contender for a while.”
Durrah, who is the No. 6-rated player on the Times Free Press’s Dynamite Dozen preseason prospect list, is UTC’s sixth commitment for the 2015 signing class and the second defensive player, joining Cherokee (Ga.) linebacker Michael Bean. The other commitments are from offensive linemen Taylor Helton (Dobyns-Bennett), Malcolm White (Science Hill) and Hunter Kennedy (UAB transfer) as well as tight end Steve Pickren (UAB transfer).
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.