A trio of U.T. freshmen spoke with the media after their first practice in a Tennessee uniform on Wednesday morning as the Vols start fall camp. All three players who met with the media on Wednesday were summer enrollees and did not get a chance to go through spring camp with the team, which means that reactions and impressions are still fresh as they adjust to their first run in college.
Tennessee’s three players included defensive lineman Carson Gentle, offensive lineman Jeremias Heard, and EDGE rusher Jordan Ross.
Ross comes to Tennessee from Birmingham, AL, and was the No. 9 overall recruit and the No. 1 EDGE prospect in 247’s rankings last recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-5 lineman is the second highest-rated recruit in the Josh Heupel era behind only quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Heard, meanwhile, is a fascinating developmental piece for Tennessee that could really pay off down the road. While still on the newer side to his football career, the massive 6-foot-8, 320-pound freshman played defensive line, tight end, and was his team’s punter at Model High School in Rome, GA. Heard was moved to the offensive line when he arrived on campus and will begin his fall camp at a new position.
Gentle heads to Rocky Top from in-state McCallie School in the Chattanooga area. The 6-foot-3 defensive lineman has been a longtime commit to the Volunteers as Josh Heupel’s second commit in the class of 2024. Gentle first announced his commitment to Tennessee in the summer of 2022 ahead of Heupel’s second season with the Vols.
Check out all three interviews from Wednesday below:
Tennessee EDGE Jordan Ross
Tennessee OL Jeremias Heard
Tennessee DL Carson Gentle
