Some people have called Kevin Revis a project despite the fact he had great feet supporting a 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame.

The Rhea County lineman takes such notions in stride. If he is considered a project, he knows he’ll be one at the University of Tennessee.

“You label a kid a project, well, they’re all projects when they get to that level,” Rhea County coach Jason Fitzgerald said. “I’ve seen guys that were rated five-star players who never got on the field, and I’ve seen one-star players who went on to become All-Americans. If Kevin was a junior like most of the kids his age, I don’t think anybody would be calling him a project.”

Staff Photo by Patrick Smith -- Rhea County offensive lineman Kevin Revis was selected as a member of the 2008 Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen. Photo taken July 13, 2008.

A combination of scholastic achievements — a 3.8 GPA and a 27 on the ACT — and recruiters looking at video of his junior season secured UT’s scholarship offer for Revis, but he also had official visit invitations extended or pending from the likes of UCLA, Stanford, Penn State and Duke when he committed to the Vols earlier this summer.

Fitzgerald, Rhea County’s last previous player to commit to a Southeastern Conference school (Auburn), pointed out that Revis barely will have reached his 18th birthday when he reports to Knoxville next June.

“I figure he’ll redshirt — one because he’s so young and, two, because they’ll want to put some weight on him,” Fitzgerald said.

Recruiters were impressed that Revis, who currently plays offensive tackle, was always in the picture on tapes they viewed.

“Kevin is going to be a great college player because of his motor, because of his intelligence,” Fitzgerald said. “He has the whole package from grades to speed to motor to demeanor and behavior. It’s just all there.”

Revis has been as heavy as 285 pounds, the weight at which UT coaches would like to see him. He is projected as a center.

“He played at 285 last year but went down to 255 during wrestling season, and we’d like to see him stay around 265 because he has to protect the edge for us,” Fitzgerald said.

Regardless, Revis is glad to have the recruiting process out of the way in addition to knowing that he is headed for a school he has always wanted to attend. The pressure is off.

“It’s a huge load lifted. I don’t have to try to impress anybody, and I can focus on helping the team win,” he said. “I was worried about trying to do too much. I was going to bust my butt, being a little undersized, but I was going to do that anyway. It will be easier not having to worry about the scholarship thing.”

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