Hopewell, Virginia athlete Darrell Taylor had heard enough about the Vols from Tennessee assistant coaches Steve Stripling and Zach Azzanni that the 6-4, 226 pound prospect had to see things on Rocky Top himself.
"I was like no I'm probably not going to like Tenessee. But I left there really like them. It's a great place to be.
"I really didn't have any expectations. Now that I have been there. I really like Tennessee. It's a nice place to be and a good atmosphere. I really liked being there."
Taylor said he has been talking to the Vol coaching staff a lot via Twitter and made it clear his comfort level with Stripling.
"Coach Stripling is my guy. He's a great defensive line coach. I love him."
"I think because he gives me the bad stuff and the good stuff about everything. I like his approach to me. He doesn't just tell me all the good stuff. Everyone tells you the good stuff, but coach Stripling tells you everything. I really like him."
Taylor has seen most of the schools close to home like Maryland, Virginia Tech as well as schools in North Carolina.
"I'm just looking for a place where I can play big time football," Taylor offered. "A great school where it's good around the coaches, the players, an good environment to be in and a place where I can get a great education. I saw all I needed to see and it was good."
Another possible factor or attractiveness for Taylor is the ideal fo playing in the SEC.
"Yea, it's a big deal to me. Most of the big time football players come from the SEC."
Up next for Taylor is a cut as Taylor cuts list of schools to five in late July. Taylor's plan is to commit sometime early in his football season, but it clear he will see a lot of schools.
"I will probably have a top five by the end of this month," Taylor said. "I'm going to take some official visits in the fall. Even if I commit I'm going to take all five of my visits."
The question is will the Vols be one of those visits? They certainly helped their cause with their orange carpet day.
"It was crazy," Taylor offered. "I had no idea what to expect. The carpet stuff with all the cameras caught me off guard. But I loved it.
