StephenVFL: Ryan, how do you like our chances with Elic Ayomanor?
Callahan: I don’t have a great feel for where Ayomanor might be leaning right now.
And I’m not sure he’s leaning toward any particular school at the moment. But what I’ve heard suggests it’s mainly a two-team race between Stanford and Tennessee. One of the variables in that one — and this goes for pretty much anyone who’s strongly considering Stanford — could be whether Ayomanor is accepted into Stanford academically. He makes good grades, so that wouldn’t appear to be a concern on the surface. But I’ve seen some pretty good students have issues with the admissions process there, so you just never know whether that might be a possible complication.
Assuming that’s not an issue, I still could see that one going either way.
I think Stanford feels pretty good about its chances, but Tennessee offers something a little bit different that also seems to have intrigued him.
If you’re into reading tea leaves, this might or might not mean anything, but it’s at least worth noting that his mother was able to accompany him on his visits to Notre Dame, Stanford and Cal. Back when he visited Tennessee, his mother wasn’t able to join him in the U.S., at least in part because of COVID border restrictions. I do think the prestigious academic schools have generally caught his attention, but he sees some major positives at Tennessee, too, including the Vols’ new offense and the connections UT has that could help him in life after football.