Ethan Ingham plans to be a special teams weapon for Tennessee this fall.

Ingham, a senior kicker from Gallatin High School, said he plans to play football for the Vols in the fall as a preferred walk-on.

Ingham said he won't receive a football scholarship immediately at UT, but he will have the opportunity to earn one based on performance.

Ingham said he will be aided financially by the lottery HOPE scholarship and a discount he receives courtesy of his mother being a public school teacher in the state of Tennessee.

Ingham said UT coach Phillip Fulmer offered him a spot on the team before the Orange and White game on Saturday.

Ingham said Fulmer wants him to work this summer on earning kickoff duties this fall.

"I feel like I can," Ingham said. "I know I'm going to put the effort in to doing it. That all comes down to the coaches' decision based off performance come August."

Ingham performed well in kickoffs last fall.

Of his 39 kickoff attempts, 36 went for touchbacks.

Ingham said he can be a weapon for UT if he's able to consistently send his kickoffs into the end zone.

"It's going to motivate me to do that much better to help the team out," said Ingham, who made nine of 14 field-goal attempts and 21 of 22 extra points as a senior.

UT's interest in Ingham was sparked by former Vol kicker James Wilhoit, who had seen Ingham kick during summer camps and again last fall at a game between Gallatin and Hendersonville, Wilhoit's alma mater.

Ingham said Wilhoit met with Fulmer last week to encourage UT's coach to give Ingham a stronger look.

"Wilhoit got his attention and talked about me and said I was a serious prospect," Ingham said. "Coach Fulmer knew then that was more incentive to have me come down."

Another incentive for Fulmer was the absence of senior punter Britton Colquitt, who will miss UT's first five games due to suspension.

The suspension of Colquitt, who would normally handle kickoff duties, left an open spot for Ingham.

"Those are big shoes to fill," Ingham said of Colquitt. "He's really good at what he does."

Ingham said he was planning to attend Louisville as a preferred walk-on before the Vols came calling.

Ingham said his decision was easy once Fulmer offered him an opportunity at UT.

"Just coming up there is a great honor and privilege," Ingham said. "I would have taken anything they offered. I'm really looking forward to it."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.