“I mean, my coach, he brought two schools’ names to my head. He was talking about Tennessee and LSU,” said Love. “And I was talking to
Jalen St. John, who had just got the offer (from Tennessee). And he was (saying) they were asking about me, so it wasn’t really out of the blue.” Love said he’s now “planning on possibly getting down there next weekend” for a weekend trip that could allow him to visit both Vanderbilt and Tennessee, two of the SEC schools pursuing him. He said he was happy to find out about his offer from the Vols.
“I was definitely excited when the coach said they were going to offer me,” Love said. “(It is) most definitely a school I’ll be looking deeply into making my decision. I most definitely heard about Tennessee growing up, just like hearing about Notre Dame and LSU growing up. Tennessee has always been a powerhouse. “I really haven’t looked deeply into it because I just got the offer, and I’ve been focusing on other schools. But I just know they’re good at football — like, the tradition. They always had a winning tradition, so they’re just looking forward to getting back to that. That’s what the coaches say.”
Love said he learned of the offer during a phone conversation with Tennessee running backs coach
David Johnson and wide receivers coach
Tee Martin. “(Johnson) said he felt like I could come in and play,” Love said. "He said he’s looking for guys not to redshirt, so he said he offered me, and it offers me a big chance to come and play early. “And, also, he asked me if I run track. He told me I should because, when he coached
Leonard Fournette back in high school, it took him from a 4.5(-second) to a 4.3 40(-yard dash), so that’s what I got from Coach Johnson.”
“(I want) just a school who gives me the best chance to go to the next level, and also who has trust in me,” he said. “When I go to whatever school I pick, I’m going to put the work in. But as far as the depth chart and how many running backs are there, what is the best possibility for me to play as a true freshman? I’ll be looking at things like that — the type of offense they run, how often do they use the running back? All of that.
