2028 4-Star IOL Grayson Williams Recaps His Tennessee Football Game-Day Visit

The Tennessee Volunteers hosted a multitude of players on visits for their matchup against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns last Saturday. One of the players included on the Volunteers' lengthy visit list was Grayson Williams.

Grayson Williams is a 6-foot-3, 315-pound four-star interior offensive lineman who currently plays for Southeast Raleigh High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Williams is currently ranked as the 3rd best player in the state of North Carolina, the 3rd best interior offensive lineman nationally, and the 49th overall player nationally in the 2028 class, per Rivals Industry rankings. Williams recently released his top 10, including Tennessee, NC State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Nebraska, Florida, LSU, Oregon, and North Carolina.

Vols On SI got a chance to catch up with Williams following his visit to Rocky Top, where the Volunteers suffered a close loss at home in their SEC opener. Here is what he had to say.

Grayson Williams on His Visit to Neyland Stadium, How it Compared to Other Visits, and If He is Likely to Visit Again

“It was one of one. It was amazing out here. So, uh, just being out here with the people, everybody was kind, you know, they talk real good football, and everyone knows me personally, so it was good," Williams said.

The four-star from North Carolina then shared what made this visit stand out compared to others with Vols On Si.

“Um, compared to some other schools, this is actually a big, big look for me. Honestly a lot of other schools kind of get a little side tracked, but these guys make it known that everyone is family here, they make sure everybody’s a part of the family,” Williams said.

Williams later commented on his interest in returning to Knoxville for another visit.

“I’ll probably come after the season for a practice. I came to see the game day, but I wanna see how if I was a player, how I would practice here and how they would be coaching me up.”

Williams on His Connections With the Volunteers Coaching Staff

Williams has built connections with many of the Tennessee coaching staff, specifically offensive line coach Glen Elarbee and offensive analyst Deonte' Cruse. The talented offensive lineman shared his thoughts on the two coaches and his fit with the team, according to the coaching staff.

“Those guys can help me lead on and off the field. They be helping me keep my head up when I know I gotta lead 4 guys on the field, and make sure I’m always good and all that. They check up on me, talk about football, and talk about outside of football, and stuff like that," Williams said.

“They tell me I’m their number one guy, so just that word, that word that they tell me, they said it a lot. It made it very, very, very known for me that I need to be here and that they need me here, so I can go on the o line and show my athleticism.”

Williams on Where Tennessee Stands in His Recruitment Right Now and What Makes the Vols Standout

Tennessee Volunteers — University of Tennessee mascot Smokey encourage fans to cheer before the start of the Vol Walk for the college football game against Kennesaw State on Sept. 19, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Top of the list, one of the schools on the top of the list,” Williams said

Williams then shared with Vols On SI what makes the Volunteers stand out.

“It’s kinda hard to say, it’s just Tennessee. You know what I mean? The players here, family, I feel like I could go to any of these guys, any of these coaches' houses right now, and be comfortable where I’m at. It’s all about comfortability and they play SEC football, you can’t beat that.”

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