Anonymous recruit gives Tennessee HC Josh Heupel a big compliment

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel received a nice compliment this week from an anonymous recruit that didn't even sign with UT.  The Athletic recently spoke with numerous anonymous high school recruits to get their takes on various topics — mostly related to the new NIL era of recruiting.  One of the questions The Athletic […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel received a nice compliment this week from an anonymous recruit that didn't even sign with UT. 

The Athletic recently spoke with numerous anonymous high school recruits to get their takes on various topics — mostly related to the new NIL era of recruiting. 

One of the questions The Athletic asked was about which coach (that didn't sign them) was the nicest that they encountered during the recruiting process. 

One specific recruit said it was between Heupel and Oregon coach Dan Lanning. 

"I want to say between Coach Heup and (Oregon’s) Dan Lanning," said the recruit. "Coach Heup, down to earth guy…He’s really nice. Off the field, he’s a nice guy. Good person and he actually cares about his players. He knows his players. His players can come to him, and I see that with my own eyes."

The Athletic also asked recruits about the weirdest or most arrogant coach they interacted with. 

And one recruit pointed out Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who was infamously almost named the Tennessee head coach in 2017, as a coach that was "too robotic". 

One recruit also pointed out Alabama's Nick Saban as a coach that didn't give off a great vibe. 

"I’d say Coach Saban. My mom wasn’t happy with him," said the anonymous recruit. "We were at a table eating and he acknowledged me, but not my parents. My mom said, 'If you’re acknowledging my son, you should acknowledge me'.”

The comment about Heupel shouldn't come as a surprise. It's very much in line with what most recruits say publicly about Tennessee's well-liked head coach. 

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