10-Star Wednesday for Tennessee (redux)

[tsweezy]

For the second time this season, Tennesse has signed a pair of 5* prospects on the same day (along with a 4* as well). We caught up with the players for some insights

Q: So let's start with you Tee. Now everyone kind of knew where you were going to attend college, being the nephew of coach Sweezy, growing up nearby, and stating several times how important it was for you to stay close to home. What caused the decision to take so long? You were the last 5 star recruit this year to commit to a school

Tee: (laughs) ok honestly I was ready to sign early but then I thought "why does everyone else get all the fun". I was half hoping to get a few schools interested and milk some fun official visits before committing. Nobody really bit though. Michigan gave me a short pitch, and then I visited some of the big programs like Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, etc.. but I think they knew where my heart was at. In the end it just wasn't much pressure on me so I wasn't thinking of it as something I had to do now.

Q: Well it's very fortuitous that you were in this class as OLB is really the only position that TENN has struggled to sign impact players at recently. What are your thoughts on the position room?

Tee: Woah there, let's slow down a second, those are my teammates you're talking about now. They might not all be flashy but if you remember Andriese, he was a 4-star that came here all the way from Hawaii and he seems like a pretty good dude. Plus last year they got Armando who's only been playing football for 2 years. He's got a ton of potential and is a weight room star. Obviously I'm hoping to come in and push those guys to get on the field right away, but it's a position you play more than 1 guy at, and I think if anything we just need more depth there. I'm working on some guys this class though to come join me 😉 

Q: Speaking of working on some guys: Tennessee has a much bally-hooed offensive class this year but the defensive recruiting seems quieter. Any idea why?

Tee: I'm not sure. I love our DC and I think he's been super overshadowed. the last 2 years TENN way outperformed their "talent" rankings with their defense even though the offense got all the attention. I totally trust the staff here to develop us and I think recruits know that. This year just had some more high profile offensive stars. We have a couple secondary players committed right now, and I know Maximiliano is deciding soon (Come join us buddy!). I think we have a good shot at another couple star guys, but there are some contentious recruitments so I'm honestly not sure how all of them will turn out. You hate to say it, but I think some of the other schools are being Transactional and trying to buy their stars rather than offering a good college experience and developing us like Tennessee does. 

Q: On that topic let's turn to you Charles. A 5 star OG from Maryland, what made you decide to come to Tennessee? Rumor was that Stanford was leading your recruitment.

Le: Honestly, they were. If you've read my recruit profile you know that I'm going to school mainly for academics and want to finish my degree. But Tennessee sold me on their ability to get me a quality degree AND get me to the league. Stanford is a great school and I almost pulled the trigger for them but the mone-, academic opportunities* were still available in Knoxville. I've always been interested in nuclear engineering, and if you know the Oak Ridge labs, they're huge in research and literally right outside of Knoxville. This last week Sweezy managed to swing an interview with some of the directors there who were willing to get me in and attached to some of the facilities and that was the final straw that won my signature

Q: Wow, sounds very academically challenging. On the field though, you join as the 5th 5-star in this offensive class. What are your thoughts on that?

Le: Well obviously we all like to win right? And with these guys that's almost going to be a given. We've got the skill players for sure, Flash and Kleen look like monsters. O'Connor is... a character. I'm not sure how much we vibe yet but he's got an absurdly good arm and it's my job to give him a chance to show it. I talked a lot with David France too. He signed a few weeks ago and was constantly hitting me up to join him. The coaches have said they can put me anywhere on the line I feel best at and work on my versatility so who knows, maybe we'll be bookends one day. No matter what though, we talked about how once we're starting, we're going to make sure we set some scoring records #50ppgIncoming

Q: That is quite a collection. Of course we can't forget about our 3rd signee of the day: RB David Forsberg - B overall receiving back.

Forsberg: thanks for having me. I know I wasn't given that 5* billing to make the fans salivate, but I think that's because I was pretty sick this last year and missed a few all-star camps. I definitely believe in my talent.

Q: So do we. What made you decide on Tennessee?

Forsberg: In 2 words? Brandon Savage. My goodness that man slings the ball. AND I know for a fact that if he's not throwing bombs he's actively getting his RBs involved which is perfect. The goal is to make the NFL with tread left, and getting a bunch of pass-catching action with the way the game is going is perfect preparation. I think I can put up numbers as a complementary piece in this offense and get developed.

Q: Any worries about the competition? You're the 4th 4* running back to sign in the last 3 classes

Forsberg: Nah, if you're worried about competition you're just admitting you don't think you're good enough. Like I said, I'm very confident in my abilities, but I don't really have an issue with a bit of a rotation in the room. There is a guy that makes you go woah though. Joe Williams is an absolute monster. He tweaked his shoulder pretty badly in practice and I heard they're redshirting him this season, but he's definitely one of my idols and I'm super psyched to be playing with him.

Q: Well the future certainly looks very bright here. I think the fans have got to be tremendously satisfied, and I know you three are going to be talked about a lot in years to come. 

At press-time, the Tennessee volunteers have signed 9 players and have the current number one ranked class The fans are ecstatic and waiting to see who else wants to sign next week:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ QB Jake O'Connor (Pocket)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐WR B.J. Flash (Speed)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐WR Joseph Kleen (Red Zone Threat)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐OT David France (Pass Blocking)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐OG Charles Le (Pass Blocking)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐OLB Tee Sweezy (Coverage)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ RB David Forsberg (Receiving) (B overall)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ CB Wendell Gallagher (Zone) (B overall)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ SS Kevin Wells (Man) 

[Ape]

Just like in Warzone you have outdone me. Remind me to not schedule you in OOC 😂