He said his trip to Tennessee on Saturday put the Vols on my list.
I love all the renovations that they did, Nauta said. Theyve got top-notch facilities, being just about a year old now. As a recruit, thats something you definitely look for. They have one of the best stadiums in the country and one of the best fan bases in the country.
And I like my tight end coach a lot, coach*(Mark) Elder. Hes a really good guy. And theyve got good recruiting classes coming in. Theres something going on at Tennessee, and its kind of exciting to think about.
(Elder said) mainly just that Im his guy that he wants for my class, and he definitely feels that Im the top tight end, if not the top player in the class. And to hear that, thats really humbling.
Nauta said having two teammates committed to Tennessee could help the Vols chances, although that wont be the deciding factor in his college choice.
I mean, that definitely helps, he said. At the end of the day, is that going to be what separates when youre picking one school from the other? No, not at all. But that helps (Smith and Picou) are all over me already about (joining them at Tennessee), and I dont see them stopping any time soon, either.
Nauta said he also recently visited Georgia, and hes planning to travel to Florida State on July 18 and Notre Dame sometime this summer. He said hes hoping to attend games at Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, and Ole Miss this year before narrowing his list of college choices down to a top five after the season.
Ill probably make a decision in spring next year, he said, because I want to be a guy whos an early graduate so I can get to a school and get on campus and have a chance to play some spring ball.