Soddy-Daisy defenders Chase Payne, right, and Zach Johnson, left, tackle Walker Valley's Bryce Nunnelly during their prep football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, at Soddy-Daisy High School in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team received its fourth commitment for the 2017 signing class Thursday from Walker Valley receiver Bryce Nunnelly.
Commitments are nonbinding until February's national signing day.
Nunnelly, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, has excelled in three sports for the Mustangs. He averaged 10-plus points per game for the Class AAA state quarterfinalists in basketball and placed seventh in the state decathlon this past spring. On the football field, he had 607 yards receiving and six touchdowns on 34 catches, added 124 yards and a score on 10 rushes and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
He had offers from Tennessee Tech and Charleston Southern and interest also from Eastern Kentucky, Mercer, East Tennessee State, Samford, Army and Navy. He said Thursday that getting the decision over with was a "big relief."
"I really liked the campus," said Nunnelly, who visited UTC on Monday. "I really liked how everything was close together. The coaching staff was unbelievable, especially the offensive coaches, and Coach Spence (wide receivers) stood out to me.
"Coach (Russ) Huesman is great. He has three SoCon titles, and you can't beat that. It's a really high level of football."
Nunnelly will help fill the void of graduating receivers C.J. Board, Xavier Borishade and Riley Davis. He'll get a chance to rejoin two former Walker Valley players: offensive lineman Alex Hooper and long-snapper Tanner Dillard.
"I'm very excited for this opportunity given to me, that I've been blessed with by God," he said. "We're losing a few receivers, but I can work under Coach Spence and learn from those other guys my freshman year, which can pay off by my junior and senior years."
Walker Valley head coach Glen Ryan said a talented overall offense has helped take attention off Nunnelly, because teams can't focus on him solely.
"He's one of those guys that does a little bit of everything for us," Ryan said. "We've got a couple others that can do a number of things, but not many. He's a good all-around athlete with all the skill sets."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.