Junior college center to visit Vols

The Vols are carrying on discussions with Dallas Hendrickson, a 6-foot-1, 295-pound center that will visit UT’s campus on Thursday.
Hendrickson said he received the invite after his coach at Iowa Western Community College, Scott Strohmeier, sent tape of his play to UT’s coaches.
“The next day I heard from them,” Hendrickson said Wednesday. “They were pretty excited and wanted me to come down for a visit. I was very surprised.”
Strohmeier was aware that the Vols needed help at center and was willing to help Hendrickson, who still has a season of eligibility remaining at Iowa Western.
“Dallas is a great center,” Strohmeier told InsideTennessee.com. “He is a really smart kid and has the head for the game. He is a great center.”
"… It will be bittersweet for us (if he leaves), but I told him to do the best thing for him. It will be a little different running out in front of 108,000 Tennessee fans than it is here in Iowa.”
UT’s centers struggled throughout spring practice. Converted senior defensive tackle Victor Thomas began camp as the first-team center before yielding the position to back-up Cody Pope.
Hendrickson would be available to play this season as a member of the 2010 class. Hendrickson has one redshirt season and three years of eligibility remaining.
Hendrickson said UT has not offered him a scholarship, but said the coaches planned on making a decision about whether to extend an offer by this weekend.
"It would be hard to pass up. That’s for sure,” he said.
Hendrickson had no scholarship offers last season and no Division I offers after his senior season at St. Ansgar (Iowa) High School, which is why he decided to attend junior college.
Hendrickson said he had no academic shortcomings coming out of high school, which is often the case with junior college signees, but felt he was good enough to play Division I so he signed with Iowa Western and hoped for another chance at a higher level.
Hendrickson said his quickness off the line of scrimmage and discipline off the field are his strengths. His toughness has also been noted as a plus.
“I haven’t missed a game in probably four years of high school, then last year (in junior college),” he said. “Haven’t had to battle any injury. The small ones, I can get through it.”
Hendrickson was a four-sport standout in high school, playing football, baseball, wrestling and throwing the shot put and discus in track.