Darrell Warren and Taharin Tyson helped Alcoa High School win its seventh straight TSSAA Class 3A state football championship Friday. Saturday, during their official visit, they committed to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Tyson said they decided in their hotel room Saturday afternoon that they wanted to be Mocs, so they announced their commitment in front of the UTC coaches, other recruits and parents during their visit to the Tennessee Aquarium.
“We were like ‘This is it, this is where we need to be,'” said Tyson, who later described the past few days as “a rush of happiness.”
Warren, a defensive end and running back, had a very busy week. On Monday the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder was named the Mr. Football lineman of the year for his classification. In Alcoa’s 56-14 thrashing of Goodpasture on Friday, he rushed 11 times for 83 yards and four touchdowns, earning offensive MVP honors.
“It shows you that hard work pays off, and I’ll continue doing that from here on out at UTC,” said Warren, who had more than 1,200 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns this season.
Tyson, a 6-foot, 240-pound fullback, rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season and could come in and start right away because the Mocs need a fullback to replace senior Courtland Ellzey.
Among the eight players UTC had visiting this weekend – they attended Saturday’s Mocs men’s basketball game – were local commitments Jacob Huesman and Jarrod Coleman, along with Northwest Whitfield offensive lineman Synjen Herren.