ESPNU 150 Watch List RB Imani Cross of Georgia committed to Tennessee on Saturday -- as he had said earlier in the week he would do -- giving Tennessee its first commitment for the class of 2012 and an RB to step into the starting lineup after Tauren Poole graduates.

Rising sophomore Rajion Neal may have something to say about that, but Cross (whose brother Izaan plays DE for Georgia Tech) says that he was given the hard sell by Derek Dooley & Co. "They want a power back," Cross told VolQuest.com. "They want someone who can grind it out in the SEC. They want someone who is reliable towards the end of the game that can get the tough yards."

By getting this pledge, Dooley continues to remake the Vols into the more physical team that he would like to have. He's still a year or so away from being able to use two-TE sets regularly, as he prefers, so Cross should arrive just in time.