McClendon Curtis finally got a chance to enjoy Chattanooga.
On his official visit to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus this past weekend, the Central High School football standout was able to take a tour of the college. He ate plenty - Champy's, Taco Mac, even late-night fare at Big River Grille - and showed off his athleticism, playing basketball with the UTC football staff and winning, though he lost to head coach Tom Arth in a game of pool.
And in the end, Curtis had such a good time he decided to spend the next four years there.
The senior offensive lineman committed to UTC on Sunday, choosing the Mocs over UT-Martin. In addition, the highly-coveted 6-foot-8, 300-pounder had offers from Football Bowl Subdivision programs Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee State, Ohio, Temple and Western Kentucky.
Central coach Cortney Braswell watched as Curtis, a three-star prospect, told larger programs he wasn't interested. He also credited UTC's previous staff, namely former wide receivers coach Rob Spence, for their role in recruiting Curtis.
"We are excited for him. We are happy for him," Braswell said. "It's a long process and he has a ways to go, but I think he'll be just fine. Coach Arth came over on his first day on the road, and I think the thing that stands out about him is he's so personable. The staff spent time and had a real conversation with him - a lot of times coaches don't do that - but they were so brutally honest about what they knew and what they didn't know, and they had that excitement."
"After that conversation, I was ready to play for him."
Curtis received All-Region 3-4A honors and was a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen and Best of Preps selection as a senior. He has extremely long arms and projects to remain on the offensive line in college, although he hinted at the possibility of playing other positions for the Mocs.
"I committed to UTC because of the love they showed," he said. "It wasn't fake love; it was all real. The coaches were great guys, and I felt like the guys (teammates) were all great people, too. It was good to sit around and just laugh.
"I want to be able to help this group now, because next year a lot of these guys are gone. I hope I can work hard, get strong and ready for the season."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.