Josh Heupel did something this week that Jeremy Pruitt couldn't do while at Tennessee
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel did something this week that his predecessor, Jeremy Pruitt, wasn't able to do during his time at UT. On Monday, the Vols landed a commitment from Ohio State transfer safety Andre Turrentine. Turrentine is a former four-star recruit who signed with Ohio State during the 2021 recruiting cycle. He's […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel did something this week that his predecessor, Jeremy Pruitt, wasn't able to do during his time at UT.
On Monday, the Vols landed a commitment from Ohio State transfer safety Andre Turrentine.
Turrentine is a former four-star recruit who signed with Ohio State during the 2021 recruiting cycle.
He's also from Nashville and he was rated as the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee in the 2021 class.
Turrentine signed with Ohio State (during the early signing period in December 2020) over Alabama, LSU, and Tennessee.
Pruitt wasn't able to seal the deal with Turrentine in 2020, which isn't a surprise because the Volunteers only landed one of the top 10 players in the state of Tennessee during the 2021 recruiting cycle. Pruitt didn't place an importance on in-state recruiting, which is why that particular staff didn't have much success in keeping players from leaving the state.
Heupel, however, managed to bring Turrentine back to his home state.
Not only is this a huge addition for the Vols (UT badly needs secondary help), but it also shows that Heupel is serious about dominating in-state recruiting.
It's one thing to talk the talk — Pruitt pledged to focus on in-state recruiting during his introductory press conference in late 2017 (every new head coach says the same thing when it comes to in-state recruiting). But it's another thing to walk the walk — and that's exactly what this UT coaching staff is doing.
A couple of weeks ago, Heupel and the Vols secured a commitment from the top 2023 player in Tennessee (edge rusher Caleb Herring). And this week, they brought Turrentine home.
Heupel continues to prove that Tennessee made an enormous upgrade by firing Pruitt and stealing Heupel from UCF.
Featured image via Saul Young/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services/USA TODAY
