after hearing from tennessee more frequently in recent weeks, adonis otey visited the vols on tuesday for the first time since coach jeremy pruitts hiring. It didnt take long for him to notice some differences in the program under tennessees new staff. The four-star junior cornerback from blackman high school in murfreesboro, tenn., joined teammate trey knox and fellow murfreesboro standout woodi washington, a four-star cornerback, in returning to knoxville on tuesday for a visit that allowed them to spend plenty of one-on-one time with pruitt. i could tell coach pruitt is more serious about it, because he literally watched our whole tape the playoff game when we played each other, otey said, referring to blackmans second-round playoff loss last year at crosstown rival oakland high school, where washington plays.
Otey said pruitt made it clear that he believes otey is still a good player and a player that they could use, but theres stuff that he wanted me to fix. he just wanted me to raise my motor when im playing, said otey, whos ranked the no. 357 overall prospect and no. 31 cornerback in the industry-generated 247sports composite for the 2019 class. when i went to block woodi, i should have went and killed him. And after the play, when im running to the ball, he wanted me to run full-speed.
otey said it didnt really hurt to hear pruitts blunt assessment of his performance, adding, my dad told me the same thing. but he admitted it was different to hear it from a college coach. thats probably the first time a college coach has ever said it, otey said. ive never heard it before. But i understand, because he wants the best guys to come in and out. otey said he liked what he heard from pruitt about his plans for turning around tennessees program, and he believes the vols will improve under pruitt.
they said they want to be one of the premier teams in the country, otey said. i know hes used to having good teams and good defenses, and where he came from, they were always successful because of his attitude and how he wants his players. while otey didnt hear all that much from tennessee in pruitts first couple months on the job, he said the vols have been talking to me a lot recently, led by cornerbacks coach terry fair. Pruitt also had talked with otey on the phone before tuesdays visit. i feel welcome now (at tennessee), otey said.
During tuesdays visit, pruitt let otey know the the vols are hoping to take a closer look at him during one of their camps last month. Otey said he should be able to attend one of them. he just wants me to come work out with them one-on-one, otey said of pruitt. im going to try to get back in june.
otey said he doesnt have any additional visits coming up soon, and he doesnt have a group of top college choices right now, adding that hes still looking. he said arkansas, vanderbilt, south carolina, louisville, ohio state and michigan are among the schools talking with him most frequently. For now, he doesnt know when he might be ready to decide on a college. i might do it before senior season, otey said. "im not sure.
