Elite Pass-Catcher Carnell Tate Talks Vols Coming Off Official Visit

Tennessee hosted elite 2023 IMG Academy (Fla.) wide receiver Carnell Tate this weekend for his first official visit. The 6'2", 190lbs wide receiver talks about the trip and more here with Volunteer Country.

"This weekend allowed me to get more of a feel for the coaches," Tate said of the official visit. "From the previous visits, I was already able to see and talk ball with them. On this visit, I was able to see how the coaches were personally and how they have fun outside of football because at some point, football will stop because it was a one-season thing, but you are on campus all year long. One thing different was seeing a practice live and seeing how Coach Pope developed his guys and went through practice. There was definitely a lot of love from the Tennessee fan base during the Mizzou game. There were people asking for signatures and taking pictures, so there was definitely a lot of love."

One other thing different on this trip was Tennessee's new wide receivers coach, Kelsey Pope. When Tate was last in town, Pope was working as the assistant receivers coach under Kodi Burns, but he has since been named to the on-field position. This weekend gave them a chance to bond more one-on-one.

"KP didn't give too much of a recruiting pitch," Tate said of the conversation with Tennessee's new wide receivers coach. "He kept it real with my dad and the meeting we had. He gave us his background and what the plan would be for me if I went there. He is a great guy."

The weekend also afforded the standout pass-catcher the opportunity to bond with elite signal-caller Nico Iamaleava and fellow elite wide receiver Kyler Kasper. The trio had productive conversations as they watched their bond grow over the weekend.

"At first, it was like, 'what are y'all waiting on? Let's slide'," Tate said of the conversation between the trio. "But as the weekend went on and more time was spent together, it wasn't really about 'what are y'all thinking?' It was just seeing how each other was doing and what we have going on back home. Nico was definitely telling us, 'what are y'all waiting on? You have a great QB here, and this place would be great for receivers to come in and make a statement freshman year.'"

So coming out of the weekend, where does Tennessee stand in Tate's recruitment?

"This visit definitely helped Tennessee a lot," the elite pass-catcher said. "With the QB they have, Nico, who wouldn't want to play with a great QB like that? They are definitely at the top of the list with all of the other schools I am interested in."

Tate will likely head into decision mode in the coming months with the hope of making a decision before IMG takes the field in the fall.

"I plan on committing in the summer, actually," Tate said of his timeline for a decision. "I am not sure if I am going to take any more officials. I am trying to take at least one more to go to LSU. If I don't, though, I am still planning to commit this summer."

The elite prospect holds offers from over 35 Division Schools and is considered one of the top players in the nation, regardless of position. Click here to see Sports Illustrated's full scouting report on him.