Prized QB Christopher Vizzina Goes In-Depth on Saturday Junior Day With Vols

2023 Briarwood Christian (Ala.) quarterback Christopher Vizzina has quickly become one of the most sought-after signal-callers in the country. Vizzina now holds over 20 Division 1 offers, including Auburn, Clemson, LSU Notre Dame, Kentucky, and Penn State, among others. He returned to Knoxville on Saturday for Tennessee's first Junior Day of the year, and he recaps the trip with Volunteer Country. 

"We got there pretty early, and Coach Halzle was out there waiting for us," Vizzina said of the trip. " We got to see everything in the facilities, and it was honestly a great visit. I did not realize the facilities were so nice there. I was blown away by the indoor facility; I would say it is one of the top in the country. We were able to take a tour of the facility, hang out with some other recruits, and see the Peyton Manning room and locker room.I saw most of the coaches, the indoor facility, then I went up to coach Heupel's office, and he took me through the quarterbacks he has developed and stuff like that. I got to spend time with Coach Heupel, Coach Golesh and Coach Halze; then we went to the basketball game."

Vizzina was able to spend plenty of time with each Tennessee coach mentioned, and they showed him a heap of information. 

 "My parents were able to ask him (Heupel) several questions, and he was genuine with all of his answers," Vizzina said of the time spent with the staff. "My parents were really impressed, and so was I. Him, Coach Halzle, and Coach Garner all came to my home basketball game last Tuesday. That was pretty cool and shows that they are really interested. We also had a chance to sit down with Coach Golesh, and he was able to explain the stats and offense. The last staff before them wasn't really getting the job done, but now they are a top ten offense and only going to get even better, which is very exciting for a quarterback prospect. After that, we sat down with Coach Halzle for about an hour, and he took me through Drew Lock, McKenzie Milton, and even Hooker, and he showed me practice film from a six months to a year before and then showed me how that translated to the game. He was really big on how they could develop me and get me ready to be an even better player. They think I have a lot of upside, and they could get me to the NFL. That is one of the big things Coach Heupel was saying, all of the quarterbacks that have played for him have had a chance to go to the NFL. That is my dream; I want to make it to the NFL, so that was big for them to explain that."

Saturday's trip allowed the Alabama signal-caller to see the Tennessee staff on a more personal level, opposed to the game-day environment he saw during his trip for the Georgia game.  

"One of the big things that every single coach mentioned was that what we see on these visits and at these Junior Days is what we are going to get if we come to Tennessee," he said of what he was able to learn about them. "All of the coaches were big on how they treat people with respect. They are going to be honest with us every day, but they are still going to be a father figure to you when you are in college. You can see that Coach Heupel has assembled a staff that all have something in common, and they all want to treat people the right way."

Now, with a game day visit, a visit from the staff to his school and a Junior Day visit, Vizzina is well aware the Tennessee staff is very interested in him. 

"I was just really building a relationship before the offer, but they have turned up the heat since, with texting me and checking in on me all the time," Vizzina said of this. "Of course, I wasn't able to talk to them when they came to my basketball game, but it was still really cool with everybody looking in the stands and seeing coach Heupel and talking about him, so that was really cool."

The Vols were high on the list for the 6'3", 200lbs signal-caller, and this weekend's trip helped to solidify that. 

"Absolutely," Vizzina said of if the Vols are still high on his list. "Just the attention they show me, it doesn't ever feel like they forget about me. They were high up for me before the visit, honestly, so they are going to stay there. The big thing for me with all of these schools is I want to see a Spring practice because you can sit down with coaches, and they can explain the program, but these are coaches, so you want to see how they handle that part and treat their players. That is what I want to see from all of these coaches."

Vizzina will visit Clemson next weekend before the dead period begins, then he will focus on what schools he wants to go see Spring practice at and continue to talk with coaches about lining up official visits. He does plan to return to Knoxville for a practice in the Spring."

He also discussed what he is going to focus on in a school as his recruitment continues to take shape and likely intensify even more. 

"Obviously, I want to go somewhere the culture is right, and I know the term culture is overused, but I want to go somewhere I am comfortable with them making me uncomfortable to push me to be my best. I want to go somewhere they can develop me as a person and a quarterback, so I want to go to a place that can get me ready for the NFL and to have an opportunity. That is what I am really looking for."