2016 Recruiting Class

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Mecole Hardman

"I think I might head back to Tennessee this weekend for a junior day, because I know we’ve got a 7-on-7 tournament this weekend in Knoxville,” he said. “I think our coach is going to take me over to Tennessee for the junior day, so I might be back at Tennessee this weekend.”

- 247

 

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"It was a great experience," Cochran said. "I love the coaching staff
and the facilities were amazing. Everything about it felt just right
and I liked it a lot." "I walked in and saw that huge amazing facility," Cochran said. "The
stadium and the weight room. It was all impressive."

"Coach Jones had already offered me and for us it was just getting to
further our relationship," Cochran said. "We talked about upcoming
dates and visits and when I might be able to come back up for a visit
again."

"They were my first offer so I already had interest in them," Cochran
said. "But coming up here and seeing the school definitely furthered
my interest in them and made me like the school a whole lot more. The
are definitely one of my top schools."

"One of my strong suits is pass blocking," Cochran said. "I have good
footwork and I set back in my pass block and I have a long frame. It's
hard to get around me. I'm also pretty good at run blocking, but I'd
like to get more aggressive in that regard. Work on getting lower and
improve my steps while I'm run blocking."

- VQ

 

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Diondre Overton - Yahoo! Sports

"Coach Z told me coming in that it was going to be a great facility and it really lived up to its name," Overton said. "He told me I was going to love it which I did. Tennessee is definitely up there now with Clemson. It's getting hard to choose from now."

"They are showing me that at-home environment. It's a place I could myself being. The players seem really cool and I got to meet some of them," Overton explained. "I really like the nutrition part of things, like having it right after they work out. Everything is pretty nice up here."

"They told me they needed receivers because a lot of receivers will be leaving and they think I could start my first year here and that's something I can look into," Overton said. "Coach Z is a cool person. He's a cool guy to be around and he made me feel kind of like a friend," Overton explained. "I feel comfortable around him and I could see him being my wide receivers coach. He let me know what it takes to be a wide receiver here and showed me some videos of them here."

A unique aspect of his visit with his opportunity to sit down with Tennessee head baskebatll coach Donnie Tyndall Saturday morning. "When I first came here I checked out the gym and met with the head coach. It was pretty cool; a great experience," Overton said. "I'm glad I did that. I'm glad to see that they're giving me an opportunity to do both. "That meant a lot, really. Just giving me that opportunity shows me that they are serious about it and not many places are like that."

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“The coaching staff, they like me a lot,” said Emmons, who’s ranked the nation’s No. 114 overall prospect and No. 6 running back in the 247Sports Composite for the 2016 class. “They make you feel like you’re wanted. Of course, somebody’s going to go where they’re wanted, so I came down here to check it out. … I enjoyed my day.”


“I actually had more time to look at the facilities,” Emmons said. “They got new stuff, so that’s always an eye-opener — walking in and seeing a big screen that you haven’t even seen before. Just coming in here and seeing everybody, it just gives you a good feeling, a good vibe. It’s all great down here.”

Emmons said he recently has been in contact with Tennessee running backs coach Robert Gillespie and assistant coach Mark Elder, and the Vols have made it clear to him that “they still love me.”

“Whenever I committed to Georgia, I kind of shut everybody out, really,” Emmons said. “But then I started listening to more people that were telling me to keep my options available because I’ve still got more time. I slid Coach Gillespie a (direct message on Twitter). I was like, ‘Y’all still recruiting me?’ And he was like, ‘Definitely.’

“From then, whenever he told me that, I knew I still had a spot here, and I knew they still wanted me. This is always a place where I could come to.”

While Emmons said Georgia is “where I’d be going” if he was making his final decision today, he’s still keeping his options open. And he’s not planning to end his recruitment any time soon.

- 247

 

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Jamari Logan - Yahoo! Sports

"Tennessee, NC State, Wake Forest, UVa, Miami and Georgia are recruiting me the hardest,” said the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Logan. “It makes me feel good that they are showing so much interest.”

 

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Right now, I have offers from Tennessee, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech and Marshall,” said Jamari Logan. “I’m also hearing from Georgia, Miami, Florida, Clemson, Florida State, Cincinnati, Baylor, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia and Oregon State. I think Wake Forest or Clemson could be next to offer.”

A group of schools are showing the most interest.

”Tennessee, NC State, Wake Forest, UVa, Miami and Georgia are recruiting me the hardest,” said the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Logan. “It makes me feel good that they are showing so much interest.”

- Scout

 

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Chidi Okonya - Yahoo! Sports

"I learned a lot about Tennessee," Okonya said. "I learned about the procedures they go through with their weight training program and how they treat their players. I got to spend time with the coaches and get a good feel for them. It went very well." Okonya referenced, Duke, Stanford and Alabama as other schools that are standing out. He also quickly pointed out that Tennessee is very high on his list thanks to a Tennessee staff that has a no-quit mentality on the trail.

"Coach Strip (defensive line coach Steve Stripling) sat me down and we talked football for a while," Okonya said. "It went well and I got a good feel for what he's like as a person and as a coach. I also spent time with coach (Tommy) Thigpen and coach (Butch) Jones. Just a great time overall with the entire staff."

"The fact that they aren't in the rebuilding process, but they are building to something special," Okonya said. "They are working hard and I like that because I'm a hard worker. Plus I like what they offer off the field with their networking with my career path and what I could do after football is over."

"I feel like I'm a versatile player," Okonya said. "I feel like my length helps me a lot. I need to work on my hand placement and have more violent hands. I'll be working on all that over the spring and summer." "I'm looking for a place where I'm comfortable," Okonya said. "I believe I'm athletic enough to compete for a position. Academics, I feel like I'll be successful wherever I am. So to me, I'm looking for a place that I fit in."

- VQ