The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Foley said he was sold on Tennessee within a few days of his trip to Tennessee on April 24 for the Vols’ spring game. He said he “clicked instantly” with first-year Tennessee coach
Josh Heupeland
Alex Golesh, the Vols’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, and felt “just more of a connection” with them than with other staffs.
Foley had planned to take official visits to Indiana and Tennessee next month. But he recently realized that he already had made up his mind on where he wanted to play.
“A few days after the spring game was when I kind of knew I was going to go there. After it, I had a great call with Golesh,” Foley told GoVols247 before publicly revealing his decision.
“I really like the campus. It’s a beautiful campus. I love Coach Heup. And the energy of the spring game, I loved. I mean, everybody’s together, which I love. The energy was there. Even at the spring game, it was there. I just feel like systematically, too, that’s a great fit for me. Coach Golesh, he knows so much about the game of football. He’ll really help me excel in the film room and on the field.”
Foley said he informed Golesh of his decision about “a week ago.” He picked up his latest offer from Auburn on April 26, and while he briefly discussed visiting the Tigers, he said he ultimately determined that he didn’t think Auburn “would be able to make up that ground” on Tennessee because of “the relationship that I had with Coach Golesh and Heupel.”
“Kind of a few days after the spring game, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to come here. This is home,’” said Foley, who’s ranked the No. 537 overall prospect and No. 28 tight end in the 2022 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
“(Golesh) kind of already knew, so when I told him, it was just a matter of time. But I told him, like, a week ago. He was still fired up.”