Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media in Knoxville after the Vols announced 27 signed players in the Early Signing Period throughout Wednesday morning.
Tennessee’s 2024 National Signing Roster currently involves 22 high school prospects, four transfer players, and one JUCO transfer player for a total of 27 new additions.
Of those 27 additions, 18 are early enrollees with the Vols’ program as the Tennessee football team undergoes bowl practices en route to the Citrus Bowl against Iowa on New Year’s Day.
Heupel was in a chipper mood while speaking with the media on Wednesday and touched on several different topics including the impact that four-star athlete Boo Carter could have.
“Boo, Mr. Football [in the state of Tennessee], dynamic playmaker, played both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Heupel said on Wednesday. “Was really good as a returner as well. We’ve already seen a lot of those skill sets from him. This might be day three or day four already for him out on the grass with us. He’s electric. He’s got great change of direction, short-area quickness, got a really good football IQ. He’s natural as a returner too. We’ve already kind of seen some of that from him. So really excited about who he is. He’s got a real maturity about him on the football field. That’s rare for a high school kid. I got a chance to see some of that when I went and watched him play live. But also already in his transition here.”
Heupel spoke about other signees such as Peyton Lewis and Mike Matthews but also touched on things like the competitiveness of recruiting in the SEC.
“Yeah, as competitive as it is on the football field, it’s even more competitive in recruiting,” Heupel said. “Time, energy, effort, strain. Everybody’s working in the same footprint. I think we’re one of the few leagues left where it’s actually a regional footprint. You’re competing against the guys inside of your conference every time you’re talking to a kid.”
More from RTI: What To Like, Not To Like About Tennessee Football’s 2024 Signing Class
Heupel’s press conference on Wednesday went for nearly 18 minutes, which can be seen in its entirety in the video below. Subscribe to Rocky Top Insider on YouTube for more Tennessee Athletics video coverage.
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel: Early Signing Day FULL PRESS CONFERENCE
