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Bailey Lenoir is a tight end for East Hamilton High School.

Bailey Lenoir is so dedicated to being a better tennis player that he spends his offseason playing football to help with his power.

No, Bailey Lenoir is so dedicated to being a better football player at East Hamilton that he spends the offseason playing tennis to help with his footwork and agility.

It’s probably more the latter, but he’s been pretty good at both.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end/defensive end is the No. 9 player in the Times Free Press Baker’s Dozen list of top prospects for the 2013 high school season. He made 12 catches for 143 yards and a trio of touchdowns in 2012 for the Hurricanes, who finished 11-2 and advanced to the Class 4A state quarterfinals.

He has received offers from Kennesaw State and most recently, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He’s hoping to get an offer from Furman, but that hinges on him getting his ACT score up a couple of points.

There’s definitely an athletic gene in his family. His father, Patrick, was an offensive lineman for the University of Tennessee from 1988 to 1991. His mom Kristy played volleyball at Tennessee and is the head volleyball coach at East Hamilton. His brother Jackson is a sophomore tennis player for Milligan College in Johnson City, having played tennis and basketball over his prep career at Arts & Sciences. Even Bailey qualified for the state in doubles this past season, advancing to the semifinals with German exchange student Erwin Kupris, but there’s no doubt that the gridiron is where he’s going to earn his scholarship money.

“I really like the physicality of fooball,” he said. “It’s definitely one of my favorite parts of the game — I enjoy pancaking an opponent as much as I do catching a pass.”

But in the event he needed a fallback plan, he’s always got his grill.

“I really like to cook,” he said. “I like to grill out whenever I get the chance to; ribs and burgers are probably my specialty.”

Although his dream would be to run through the “T” as a member of the Volunteers, Lenoir is just ready for the chance to play at the next level — a chance he undoubtedly will receive.

“I’m really just wanting to play wherever is the best place for me,” he said. “It would mean a lot because I’ll be getting an opportunity not only to further my education, but do something I love at the same time.”

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.