With less than a month until National Signing Day on Feb. 1, many of the nation’s top senior prospects have already decided where they will be going to continue their playing careers next season.

For many of these prospects, the biggest decision that they have recently faced is figuring out how to publicly announce their highly-anticipated decisions.

But Khalid Henderson — one of the state’s top defensive prospects in the class of 2012 — finds himself jumping back into the recruiting carousel after pledging his allegiance to Tennessee more than six months ago.

KHALID HENDERSON

Henderson re-opened his recruitment after decommitting from Tennessee on Jan. 1.

According to Henderson, the Volunteer coaching staff had become somewhat disinterested in him and began to cut ties with the standout from Cobb County who had been the second commit in their 2012 recruiting class.

“First off, I was told late that I became a ‘possibility’ instead of a commit,” Henderson told the Red & Black. “I tried to just speak with the coaches and figure out where their heads were at with their decision before spring practice and just try to keep in touch. But they didn’t keep in touch with me, so I just figured I would look around so I could find a better school for me.”

Henderson — a 6-foot-2, 210-pound outside linebacker and strong safety prospect out of Pebblebrook High School in Mableton — initially wowed Tennessee coaches with his performance at a camp last June, which led to a scholarship offer soon after.

Henderson fell in love with the atmosphere at Tennessee and felt like the Volunteers’ program was headed in the right direction under second-year head coach Derek Dooley.

“They had a young program, they were basically in a rebuilding stage and I liked their direction,” Henderson said. “And I [had] always been like a Vols fan since I was little, anyway, so it was kind of my favorite school.”

Around the time of Henderson’s commitment to Tennessee, Georgia had started to show interest in the three-star prospect and began to persuade him to take a visit to Athens over the summer.

However, Henderson’s loyalty to Tennessee at the time was unwavering.

But after his de-commitment to the Volunteers, Henderson quickly turned back to the in-state program and immediately placed a call to Georgia linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti to let the coach know that he had decommitted and was highly interested in the Bulldogs.

And the interest now appeared to be mutual.

“When I was committed, [Georgia] really didn’t keep in touch. They kept in touch during the season and were like ‘We’re still watching you,’ but after I decommitted I called them and they said ‘We’ll keep in touch now at this point,’” Henderson said. “I’m very interested in Georgia and I’ve been in contact with ‘Coach O’ [Olivadotti].”

In addition to Georgia, Henderson has narrowed down his choices to Ole Miss, Duke, and Maryland to round out his final four.

Rated as the No. 16  outside linebacker prospect in the nation by ESPN.com, Henderson has generated interest from some of the four finalists as a possible strong safety prospect.

“I play outside linebacker and I also play strong safety,” Henderson said. “At Duke they want me at strong safety. At Maryland they want me at strong safety. Ole Miss wants me at linebacker — it depends on where I’m needed or [the] scheme of the defense. If Georgia recruited me as linebacker, I’ll play linebacker.”

Henderson hopes to announce his decision later this month in time for National Signing Day.

Despite having to sort through the uncertainties of both where and what position he’ll possibly play, there is one thing Henderson knows above all else.

Whichever school he chooses, that program will be adding a versatile athlete who not only prides himself on his on -the-field performance, but someone who is also a dedicated student of the game.

“I’m versatile… I’m fast. I’m a very athletic linebacker, I’m great in pass coverage but I can also play the run,” Henderson said. “I’m also very smart, I stay focused and I stay in the film room and can look at film and pick up on plays like no other.”