[GoRU]

UPDATE: Scott helps UT pluck linebacker Mitchell-Thornton from Stone Mountain, Ga. : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com

“That’s what coach Scott was telling me, that I’m special because I’m one of the first guys from the area (to commit to UT),” Mitchell-Thornton said. “He said they used to always recruit around this area but no guys would ever come up to Tennessee.

“I really took that into consideration.”

Mitchell-Thornton’s mentality helped UT. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker didn’t feel obliged to stay close to home.

“A lot of people say I have a different personality,” he said. “I don’t always go with the crowd. I’m my own person.

“I have confidence in myself to be able to go to school and do the right things while I’m there … in order for me to be successful.”

Mitchell-Thornton registered 106 tackles, six sacks and 12 tackles for a loss last season. That sort of production helped him amass 22 scholarship offers. Before selecting the Vols, his finalists were Michigan, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.

“The first time Tennessee offered,” Mitchell-Thornton said, “we automatically put it on the top.”

Much of UT’s elevation to No. 1 had to do with Scott. The Vols weren’t the first to knock on Mitchell-Thornton’s door, but they were the loudest.

“He really came after me and kept it real the whole time,” Mitchell-Thornton said of Scott. “I really appreciate that.”