Leavell signs to play at Chattanooga
Deameion Leavell is joined by his parents, Sasha and Damien Leavell, to celebrate signing to continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. (photo:Dwane Wilder )
Leavell made it official recently, signing his National Letter of Intent during a ceremony at ACHS to play football at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He plans to major in sports medicine and said he expects to begin work in the school’s pre-med program.
The Mocs extended an offer to Leavell over the summer. He recently capped his high school wrestling career by winning the TSSAA Class A state wrestling championship in the 175-pound weight class at the Williamson County Expo Center in Franklin.
“I really liked the coaching staff there for the way that they stuck with me throughout and in the beginning of the season,” Leavell said.
Chattanooga will allow Leavell to remain close to home, giving his parents the chance to see him compete on Saturdays. Still, he said proximity was not the deciding factor.
“I didn’t really care,” Leavell said. “As long as I felt safe there and felt at home there, it didn’t matter if I had to go across the country. I was going to do it.
“My parents, they’ve pretty much been with me every step of the way. They’ve been to every game and they’ve been to every tournament, so for them to get the chance to see me play in college is big. As long as they get to see a couple of games, I’ll be good. If they miss a few games, I won’t be mad.”
Leavell said he believes he can succeed in any classroom setting, but he appreciates the smaller class sizes at Chattanooga.
“I don’t really worry about big classes or small classes,” he said. “But I like small classes, where you can go talk to your professor instead of being in a hall where you might have to talk to 150 kids.”
He also pointed to the campus atmosphere as a selling point.
“It’s all right there and you can get an electric scooter and get around,” he said. “You don’t have to have your car.
“And I like the living spaces for the freshmen. The dorms and the small apartments for the athletes are the best I’ve ever seen.”
