'18 TN OL Tanner Antonutti (UT signee)

#277
#277
butchna said:
Originally TE/DE...past all that. OL all the way.
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Kid has a big frame and, as Butch likes, could be a versatile player. He will probably be asked to adjust to wherever the most need is.

We have plenty of developmental projects on OL already, so I wouldn't fully commit him to the OL quite yet.
 
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#278
#278
vavolfan6 said:
Kid has a big frame and, as Butch likes, could be a versatile player. He will probably be asked to adjust to wherever the most need is.

We have plenty of developmental projects on OL already, so I wouldn't fully commit him to the OL quite yet.
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We wouldn't be the ones doing so. Butch doesn't use OL sized TEs...see Devante Brooks.
 
#279
#279
butchna said:
We wouldn't be the ones doing so. Butch doesn't use OL sized TEs...see Devante Brooks.
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I've got high hopes for him. Brooks was hhhly recruited and prior to knee injuries considered very athletic for a TE. I think he may be a factor down the road if he can remain healthy from here out
 
#280
#280
butchna said:
We wouldn't be the ones doing so. Butch doesn't use OL sized TEs...see Devante Brooks.
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Devante Brooks was 6'5" 250 when he committed, the reason he was moved to OL was because he knee injuries took away the speed and quickness needed to play TE.
 
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#281
#281
chaseasl said:
Devante Brooks was 6'5" 250 when he committed, the reason he was moved to OL was because he knee injuries took away the speed and quickness needed to play TE.
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Bulked up well before the announcement. The move was planned.
 
#282
#282
butchna said:
Bulked up well before the announcement. The move was planned.
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He was extremely highly rated prior to his injuries. Nearly a 5*. I believe he was rated around #50 in the nation at point. The kid has ability. He's young and undersized on a very experienced line. Give it another year or two and I think he gets in the rotation, despite the number of 5* linemen he will be competing against.
 
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#283
#283
I like this commitment. We're absolutely loaded on offensive lineman (especially tackles) for next couple of years, so investing in a high-upside project who won't mind sitting for a while makes sense.
 
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#286
#286
I think he's an offensive tackle all the way, but if he's able to maintain his athleticism, I wouldn't mind seeing Butch get creative with him. He could be useful in a goal line package.
 
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#289
#289
I love this pick up. I really like our OL recruiting the past 3 cycles. All the undersized guys are super athletic and have the height and lenghth to potentially be elite.
 
#291
#291
Per Hubbs

Antonutti’s commitment was hardly a surprise. The Ensworth product wanted to visit Tennessee before the dead period, and if he felt comfortable and saw what he needed to see, then the kid who grew up a big-time Vols fan was going to pull the trigger over LSU. Obviously, that happened.
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#292
#292
It would be awesome to line up with 3 tackles, and the 3rd tackle have the legitimate ability to catch the ball. That would be fun. Drive the defender off the line, turn around and catch the ball for a TD! lol
 
#293
#293
I’ve been out of pocket lately due to ‘puter problems, so I had not heard about this kid’s commitment. Surprisingly, I ran into his aunt yesterday at the Loveless Café, where she works as a hostess. She was thrilled about Tanner’s commitment, as their family is, indeed, hardcore Big Orange. She said that he is specifically being projected as a tackle, but he has not finished growing. Tanner is currently 6-6, 272, and is projected to eventually stand 6-7 to 6-8, so he definitely fits into that mold of athletic, lean offensive tackles that Butch likes so much.

For those of you have followed his recruitment more closely, could his comparatively low rating owe in part to the fact that he is essentially outgrowing the tight end position, where he played earlier in his high school career, and is still rather early in the process of mastering the tackle position?
 
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#294
#294
Yeah, he was a bit of a tweener there for a while, and he also missed quite a bit of time to injury IIRc. Those 2 things probably kept the ranking down. People who should know seem to really like his potential though.
 
#295
#295
I'm not worried about his ranking.

What stands out to me are his

* size/athleticism combination
* his love for Tennessee
* Butch comparing him to Eric Fisher
 
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#296
#296
"It was really fun," Antonutti said. "I got to meet with coach (Phillip) Fulmer a couple of times and coach (Jeremy) Pruitt and coach Will Friend. We got to talk about what I need to do to get ready for the upcoming season because we are thin and only have six healthy lineman right now."

Antonutti currently weighs 273 pounds and has put on about 10 pounds in the last few weeks after his high school season ended.

"They want me to play tackle," Antonutti said. "They told me to be 285 by the time I get there. I've been working hard to put on weight. I know that's important for me to have the chance to play."

Also vital this weekend was the chance to sit down with his new head coach and get to know Jeremy Pruitt. It was the beginning of something special for the Nashville native as he looks to his future on Rocky Top.

"He was up-tempo and had a lot of passion," Antonutti said. "You could tell he is ready to go. He was talking about keeping my grades up and being smart in the weight room while I put on weight. Not doing to much to fast. He just told me that I have to be ready to walk on this campus and know this is our football team."
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The visit didn't vary much from those official visits in the past, but it was more about getting to meet the new look staff. It's a different feel around the complex with a group that isn't going to rest on their past success at different places.

"Every single member of the staff has the mentality that they aren't accepting anything but perfection," Antonutti said. "The first thing that coach Friend said to me was that he wasn't going to be my buddy because he is my coach. He expects us to work because he is going to be working harder than us. If we work hard for him then he will work hard for us and our relationship will be good."

Antonutti was offered by the old staff and while he appreciates those coaches, he sees a big difference.

"I'm more excited about this staff than the one before," Antonutti said. "I had great relationships with the staff before, but there is something about this staff that separates them from everybody else. Everybody is walking around with fire in their eyes ready to go."
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VQ
 
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#300
#300
The quote about Friend saying he wasn’t going to be his buddy but he’d be his coach is a problem of the old staff I think. I think butch and company tried to be everyone’s best friend instead of Coach
 
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