St. Louis University School (Mo.) five-star wide receiver
Ryan Wingo returned to Tennessee last week during the open period to check out the Vols one more time ahead of the season.
Volquest caught up with the prized prospect to discuss the visit and more.
Getting back to Tennessee during the open period was important for the coveted prospect. Important enough that he drove cross country to arrive in town late Wednesday and spent the day in Knoxville on Thursday before hopping on a plane early Friday morning to get to College Station to finish out the weekend.
The mid-week visit allowed him to spend more personal time with the Tennessee staff.
“It was just a cool visit,” Wingo said of being around the staff in a more personal setting. “It wasn’t too much as far as recruiting because there weren’t a lot of people there. It was really just me and Coach
(Josh) Heup, Coach
(Kelsey) Pope, and Coach Max (Thurmond). It was really just a day of chilling and hanging out with them. It was pretty cool.”
“We played video games, and just hung out throughout the day,” Wingo added. “They wanted to get me up before I went to Texas A&M, and it worked out to where I could.”
One reason Wingo continues to return to Tennessee is because of his strong bond with the coaching staff, especially second-year wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope.
“They have been recruiting me since forever, so it is strong,” Wingo said. “Coach Pope and I have a strong connection and strong bond. I think it is only going to keep growing too.”
Wingo has traveled to a lot of different schools over the last calendar year, and he understands there is plenty of speculation out there about which school he will end up at.
While he doesn’t have any public favorites at this point, Tennessee is “for sure” among the few at the top of his list. There is one simple reason for why that is.
“Honestly, I think their consistency over everything,” Wingo said of this. “We have been creating a great bond since my sophomore year, and when you have that over other schools, it is just hard (to overlook). That is why it was so great to get back up there.”
While the Tennessee staff has been consistent with recruiting him, he has also heard from several of Tennessee’s current commitments, including four-star safety Boo Carter and five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews. His fellow peers are making their message clear.
“It is really like being recruited by the coaches,” Wingo said on this. “Just like they want me there with them and telling me that great players play with other great players. That is their message most of the time, and I really just kind of let that sink in my head.”
Wingo plans to return to Tennessee in the fall before making a commitment announcement on December 20th during the early signing period.
He is a seasoned veteran when it comes to taking trips, and he still has more work to do before his recruitment comes to a close. As he continues to navigate the process, he will focus on a couple of key aspects.
“Really more so just continuing to build on the bond I already have with the coaches,” the elite pass catcher said. “Just that and being able to know I am going to get developed are the two biggest things. That is really all I am looking for.”
