Two weeks ago,
Keldric Faulk announced that he had narrowed his focus to four schools that will host him on official visits in June. But he hasn’t completely closed the door on a few other teams, including Tennessee, that are still hoping to get his fifth and final official visit.
The four-star Class of 2023 defensive lineman from Highland Home (Ala.) High School visited the Vols again Saturday to attend their “Rocky Topalooza” event. It was at least his fifth trip to Tennessee since the Vols’ former staff gave him one of his first scholarship offers nearly three years ago, and he said Tennessee now has “a pretty good chance of getting” him back on campus on an official visit.
After Saturday’s visit, he said he still hasn’t “made up my mind yet” about whether he will use his fifth official visit to make yet another trip to Knoxville. But he said he’s strongly considering the possibility of adding an official visit with the Vols.
“I've got to talk (about) it with my family first,” Faulk said. “But, as of right now, they've got a pretty good chance of getting it.”
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While Saturday’s visit was a laid-back day of fun and games for Faulk and the other Tennessee targets in attendance, he said defensive line coach
Rodney Garner and some of the Vols’ coaches at least briefly talked with him about how they envision using him in their defense.
“They want me to play defensive end,” Faulk said. “At other schools, they play outside linebackers. They drop down in coverage sometimes. But they see me as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, and that’s something I like to play. I feel more free in that spot. It’s way more comfortable to me, anyway. …
“I mean, the conversation, it wasn’t really so much (about) football, besides the part where I found out where I was going to play. (Saturday) was just more of just having fun with the coaches and seeing how they really are.”
Faulk said Saturday’s event showed him a different side of Garner, a longtime SEC assistant coach who has produced a number of NFL defensive linemen.
“Oh, man, I got to see Coach Garner dance,” Faulk said. “Coach Garner danced, man. That was funny. It was pretty funny, man, just to see him get out there and move. You don't think he would come out there and dance, but he will.”
The possibility of playing for Garner is one of the reasons Faulk is still considering Tennessee.
“It makes me feel more comfortable, because it makes it seem like he knows what he's talking about,” Faulk said. “When I come to these places, it's like, 'OK, is he gonna teach me something? Or is he just going to show me stuff that I already know?’ And I think he’ll be the one to teach me something.”
Some of the Vols’ current commitments, including five-star quarterback
Nicholaus Iamaleava of Long Beach, Calif., also spent time with Faulk on Saturday.
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