Darnell Washington admits he’s a procrastinator.

The nation’s top tight end and 5-star talent does his homework at the last minute and didn’t name his daughter until the day she was born.

Now, the Desert Pines Las Vegas (Nev.) standout faces “the hardest decision of (his) life so far” in less than 72 hours, picking his college choice out of more than 40 options — only to keep the decision a secret for another few weeks until a public announcement on Jan. 2 at the Under Armour All-American Game.

“That’s the plan,” Washington said after his fifth and final official visit to Tennessee this weekend.

The 5-star tight end visited Rocky Top for the sixth time in the last two years, including his second visit since October. As no stranger to Tennessee, Washington, with his mom and family in tow, used his final visit before a decision to get a closer look at how he’d be used by Jim Chaney. He also got to spend some time around two of his favorite coaches in Jeremy Pruitt and Brian Niedermeyer.

“The biggest takeaway was seeing how they run practice. Coach Pruitt, Brian Niedermeyer, seeing them out there and how they coach practice. Seeing how they use the tight ends. Their presentation was great. Coach (Jim) Chaney, and how he developed guys like Hunter Henry from Arkansas to now,” Washington explained.

“This is my sixth time coming here. So I already knew what they do. How they do it. This was kind of a vacation, if you want to call it. It was a chill, relaxed trip. With Brian Niedermeyer, he’s different. He’s kept coming at me. We’ve built a strong relationship. Pruitt, he’s a good-hearted dude.”

Washington liked Tennessee's pitch on how he’d be utilized in Chaney’s scheme. At 6-7, 260, he’s a mismatch nightmare, capable of lining up as an in-line tight end or flexing out wide as a split receiver. Dominick Wood-Anderson filled both roles for Tennessee this fall, catching 20 passes for 266 yards, and while the numbers weren’t eye-popping, Washington saw promise in the system.

“Chaney came in this year. He tried with Dom. But it’s hard for someone to learn that’s coming from a whole different offense,” Washington said.

“It’s not really their fault, or Dom fault. If he had another year, his draft stock would go up.”

Washington has been a jet-setter this fall, visiting Georgia multiple times, while also taking trips to Alabama, Miami and Florida. All five schools remain in contention for his signature, Washington said, with a final choice yet to be made.

“It’s something I got to get back to Vegas. This by far the hardest decision of my life so far. I don’t want to make a mistake,” he said.

“I have to sit down and go over it with my mom. With my mom, I’m the last one, so she’s really worried if I’m going to be ok after school. She wants to make sure everything is good so she doesn't have to worry about me. For me, it’s about getting developed and getting to the next level.”

Tennessee got the final visit due to Washington’s comfort level with Niedermeyer and Pruitt, but it remains to be seen if the Vols locked down the nation’s No. 17 prospect.

Georgia is clearly a major player here and Miami, where Washington said he had a really good in-home visit, could be a darkhorse contender. For now, all of Washington’s finalist will wait for good news on Wednesday and then celebrate on Jan. 2.

“Each place got their own, unique things,” he said. “I don’t know. It’s a lot. ... It's something I have to think about."