Kohl Henke of Boyd-Buchanan was selected as a member of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Football team. November 23, 2016. Kohl Henke was looking for a college football program relatively close to home, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is just that.
That he shares a similar love of shoes and music with one of the Mocs' coaches was a bonus.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Boyd-Buchanan safety, considered a priority by the Mocs in recruiting, became the program's second commitment for the 2018 signing class Sunday, joining Dalton offensive lineman Dylan Cole.
Henke only played in eight games last season due to an injury, but he still finished with 65 tackles, five pass breakups and four forced fumbles. That came a season after intercepting six passes and totaling 100 tackles as a sophomore.
He said Sunday that the bond he built with the UTC coaching staff started in January. It helped that he and defensive backs coach Jonathan Cooley were wearing the same Adidas NMD shoes during their first meeting.
"We just have a bond now, so I really feel comfortable with them being my coaches in the future," Henke said. "I was happy to get this done. It was something I was trying to get done before my senior year because my team needs my full attention and I need to focus on them.
"I know they (UTC) are there for me, so now I can worry about my high school team and focus on trying to get that high school state championship."
Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, Henke had scholarship offers from Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Mercer, as well as Football Bowl Subdivision members Navy and Virginia. But the most important thing for him was being able to stay close to home.
"I thought it would be cool to play for my hometown team," he said. "I want the community behind me, for my family to be able to see me, and that factored in a lot to my commitment. I definitely want my grandparents, family and friends to be able to see me play in college."
Boyd-Buchanan's Carter Cardwell called Henke a "great young man," and the Bucs' head coach said he could tell Henke was happy about the decision when the player called him to share the news.
"He's a high-intensity, high-contact football player," Cardwell said. "He doesn't take one second off. He's an intense player on the field and he wants to be active on the field.
"He's going to be a huge plus for the Mocs, because he's a guy that's willing to do whatever on the field."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.