Elite WR Carnell Tate in Knoxville for Another Visit With Vols

Tennessee hosted elite 2023 IMG Academy (Fla.) wide receiver Carnell Tate for his first official visit during the second weekend of April. The 6'2", 190lbs wide receiver, who is widely considered the best receiver in America, has since taken an official visit to LSU, but the latest twist in his recruitment is a huge development for the Vols. 

Tate is currently on Tennessee’s campus taking in the top-ranked Vols series finale against Georgia. Tate is spending time with offensive Coordinator Alex Golesh and Josh Heupel currently. It is safe to say he will spend time with Kelsey Pope as well.

The Vols have been a long time suitor for Tate and last month’s official visit has allowed them to position well in his recruitment .

"This weekend allowed me to get more of a feel for the coaches," Tate said following the official. "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 during the April 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. The official visit 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 at the time. "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, who was also in town. The duo had productive conversations as they watched their bond grow over the weekend.

"At first, it was like, 'what are you 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 me, 'You have a great QB here, and this place would be great for receivers to come in and make a statement freshman year.'"

"This visit definitely helped Tennessee a lot," the elite pass-catcher told Volunteer Country in April. "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 weekswith the hope of making a decision before IMG takes the field in the fall. Another  aspect that makes this visits extremely important for Tennessee.

"I plan on committing in the summer, actually," Tate said in April. "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.

feature image via Volunteer Country’s Jake Nichols