The 6-foot-3, 192-pound Lawrence said he needs “to get back up to” Tennessee, “just to see the new coaching staff” after the Vols recently parted ways with former cornerbacks coach
Terry Fair, who was serving as Lawrence’s primary recruiter. LSU, Clemson, Auburn, Oklahoma and Miami also are among the schools that “really stand out,” Lawrence said, that he needs to visit soon. He said he “eventually” might travel to Ohio State, too. “But until further notice, those are the schools that I need to get to,” added Lawrence.
He said Tennessee, Clemson, Ole Miss, LSU, Miami, Ohio State and Oklahoma now are the schools recruiting him hardest among the more than 20 schools pursuing him. Fair, a former Vols cornerback who played in the NFL, was the Tennessee coach who had the closest relationship with Lawrence. But he said he has continued to hear plenty from the Vols even since Fair’s departure less than two weeks ago.
Lawrence said “the whole staff — like, every coach” at Tennessee — reached out to him Monday to wish him a happy birthday. He still has a close relationship with Patrick Abernathy, who works in player development for the Vols, and he said he usually hears from Tennessee head coach
Jeremy Pruitt about “three times out of the week.”
Lawrence said he believes new Vols wide receivers coach
Tee Martin might be taking over as his area recruiter, and he already has heard from
Derrick Ansley, Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. But he said Fair “was by far one of my favorite coaches there.”
“I still hear from them a lot. But with (Fair), it was, like, every day,” Lawrence said. “Him talking to me every day was persuading me so hard, just to say, like, I’ve got to keep them in mind or I’ve got to go there. But hopefully I’ll build another (relationship) with
Tee Martin. “(Ansley) said he’s just trying to get to know me more, and my family and stuff like that.”
