"They are a school I'm interested in seeing again," Ritzie said. "I had a good time at the Georgia game last year. They have a good school. I've always been interested in Tennessee. I like the program and I like coach Pruitt. He's a good guy and he has a good vibe."
Pruitt has been influential with several key prospects during his first two full classes at Tennessee. He resonates with prospects because of his football mind and straight forward approach.
"It's a really chill personality," Ritzie said. "It's nothing over the top. It's not over exaggerated. When I've talked to him on the phone before, he's a pretty cool guy and a great person to talk to."
Ritzie's area recruiter is running backs coach Jay Graham. The two have spoke since Graham got to Rocky Top and it's Graham that is pushing to get him and other North Carolina prospects to campus soon.
"It was a good conversation," Ritzie said. "I'm going to be calling him again later today. I just think his facts are real truthful."
And then there is Tennessee's new defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh, who in just a couple of weeks on the job has made his presence felt with his ability to relate.
"I really liked his vibe," Ritzie said. "He was at Colorado and now he is at Tennessee. We are trying to build a good relationship now. I just like what he had to say."
Tennessee was one of 12 schools that made the latest cut when Ritzie released his top-12 earlier this year. They are obviously in it, but is there anything that Tennessee could be doing better in his recruitment?
"That's a good question because I think they are doing a very good job of recruiting me," Ritzie said. "I wouldn't say it's one or two coaches. It's literally the whole staff and they are after me. I talk to them every day."
And the way Tennessee is recruiting him gives him more interest in seeing what the Vols have to offer with a re-worked staff.
"It feels really good to know they make me a priority," Ritzie said. "I look forward to getting back up there and learn everything from academics which is my #1 to the sports part. I want to talk to some of the players and see why they chose Tennessee over other schools."
And with academics being very important to him and his family, he wants to take a long hard look at what each school has to offer in a number of different fields.
"I have a wide variety of things I'm interested in," Ritzie said. "I have bio-medical engineering, architectural engineering, psychology, anatomy. I don't know yet. Just some different things interest me. I'm taking classes for all those things."
Duke, Georgia, UNC, South Carolina, Ohio State and Oklahoma along with the Vols are recruiting Ritzie very hard. He would love to come to a decision sometime this summer or early fall, but nothing is set in stone.
"Family is the #1 priority for my decision," Ritzie said. "We have to feel like it's a place like home that I want to go to."
