Catching up with Tennessee running back commitment Carlin Fils-Aime as he gets ready to visit Knoxville this weekend:
What other visits have you taken?
“Before I committed, on the way up, I had visited Auburn, Georgia and USC. I thought Auburn was really nice. Auburn was my first choice until I came up there to Tennessee – it just totally blew my mind. Georgia wasn’t bad, I liked it, it just didn’t feel like it was my. I thought UNC was really beautiful, but Tennessee took it away.”
Are you taking any other visits or have you shut down your recruiting?
“Not that I know of. In terms of shutting it down, I still have a couple of coaches that still talk to me, but I tell them my mind isn’t really going to change about Tennessee.”
How is your senior season going?
“I honestly don’t keep up with my stats. Honestly, I’m just one of those players that plays and how I do, is how I do. As long as I can help the team.”
How do you see yourself fitting into UT’s rushing attack?
“[Running backs] Coach G (Gillespie) and I were actually talking about it. He had a film side-by-side with his plays and our plays, and we actually kind of run similar plays to them – just line up in different formations. He was talking about maybe possibly doing something new when I get there, maybe putting two running backs in the slot – stuff like that, moving us around. I think he’s just waiting to do something different when I get there, but I’m not sure.”
Are there any backs you compare yourself to?
“I actually never really paid attention to that, but I’ve heard from some a couple people and other backs – Gale Sayers and AP (Adrian Peterson) are what I mostly hear.”
What’s your current size?
“5-11, 180”
What do you consider your style of play and are you looking to bulk up when you get to UT?
“Honestly I couldn’t tell. I was actually speaking to coach about that and he was saying that all backs are different. Like how Jalen is more tall/power and Kamara is more speed/quick and I asked him how much weight he would put on me when I got there and he said it depends because every back is different. I’d like to say balanced, but that’s me.”
What are your thoughts on UT’s season so far?
“A couple of friends and I have been talking about it and, it was just us, but we thought Tennessee should be undefeated. But not every season can always go perfect, sometimes you have difficulties and games don’t go your way and stuff happens, but just learn from it, learn from the mistakes and just worker harder the next time.”
What are your plans for the visit this weekend?
“Just really checking around and showing my mother, my girlfriend and my uncle around. Coming home a little bit.”
