Highly Sought After RB Glover Discusses Upcoming Vols Official Visit
Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson Running Back, Jalyon Glover, is set to kick off an action-packed month of visits with Tennessee, as he will officially visit the Vols from June 4th-6th. Before heading to the Volunteer State, he discusses what he is looking for and more with VR2 on Sports Illustrated.
"The biggest thing for me is I am just excited to see Knoxville because I have never been there," Glover said about what he is looking forward to the most about the trip. "I am really familiar with the staff, but coach Mack is pretty new. He has filled in like we had known each other for a while. He just has that vibe, but honestly, I am just excited to see the facilities, the staff and just get that feel of where they see I best fit with the team and how I can help them as early as possible. My biggest thing is trying to get that heart-to-heart, face-to-face moment to see how they really feel about me. I know things are different over the phone, but I believe I can really feel that vibe in person."
Glover burst onto the recruiting scene early enough to get face time with coaches before the shutdown, but with the 2022 recruiting class entirely on the clock and the recruiting world shut down for the last 14 months, this in-person visit with the Vols will go a long way in determining how they are viewed heading into his decision.
"It is going to be big-time just to see how they operate and see how things go," Glover said about the opportunity to get to communicate in person. "I am just excited to see how this month of June goes and how this first OV goes. It is definitely going to help to be in person because virtually doesn't do it justice, so being there and being on campus will be good."
The long-standing relationship with the Tennessee staff gives Glover some comfort heading into his first official visit.
"I feel like it is going to be a reunion type of deal," Glover added. "It has been a while, but I used to be at UCF every other weekend, and it was pretty much family-oriented. I just have that familiarity with the staff, and they know me. There have been a few changes, but I feel like they hired towards that family orientation. It has been a long time, so it is going to be big. I am really excited to see those guys again."
The Tennessee coaches are not the only reunion Glover will have on his trip to Knoxville, as he will be hosted by former teammate and current Tennessee linebacker Morven Joseph.
"That is my guy," Glover said of Joseph. "We just got off the phone 30 minutes ago, and he is actually going to be my host. He was just saying, "if you come here, you have to be ready to work." He was there through that transition from the old staff to the new. He was telling me there is a big difference in the vibe, and he definitely feels like there is more of a brotherhood there than before. He tells me it is exciting, and he is going to take care of me at this visit, and I am excited about that."
For Glover, he is familiar with how Josh Heupel's offense works, and he understands how he likes to use his backs, but to see the plan unfolded for him at Tennessee during this trip will be a key factor.
"Even at UCF, Coach Heup said he loves his QBs, but he always told me that the offense is only as good as a good back, and he loves his backs," Glover stated. "That is why he was on me so early because he thought I had great potential. It is going to be huge just to see what their plan is for me individually and see what my role can be to help that offense be the powerhouse he wants it to be."
Following Tennessee, Glover will pack in a full month of visits as he works towards making his college decision.
"I will be at UCF on the 7th and Florida on the 8th," he said of his visit plan. "The following week, my official visit will be at South Carolina. Then I will be at Georgia on the 15th, and the week after that, I will be at Georgia Tech, then I will be at FSU for a mid-week official visit, then I will be going to Utah for the 25th-27th."
If these visits go according to plan, Glover will start towards a decision in the months afterward.
"The reason I am getting into a jam-packed month of June, I am planning on doing this and being locked in by July or August," he said of his decision timeline. "I just want to go through the process. I have enjoyed it, I really have, but at times it can get really overwhelming. I want to be able, not really say I am done with it, but I want to be locked in somewhere before my senior season, so I can focus on going and getting a state championship. So, I think in July or August, I will be locking in."
So what is Glover looking for on these trips, and what will it take for a school to lockdown his commitment?
"Honestly, that is what I am so excited for with these OV's," he said. "I have been telling myself for a while that I am going to get that gut feeling of this is where I want to be. I never came across something specific, like they have this, so I am going to go there. I think it is just a feeling. At the end of the day, I am just blessed with opportunities. I am going to go to a Power 5 school with great facilities, great academics, and have great things in the field of study I want to go into. I think the biggest thing is going to set one apart is just being family-oriented and knowing I am going to be okay there, as well as being able to know that I can have an opportunity to fight for a spot early."
With his eyes set on a state title, Lake Gibson's all-time leading rusher has continued to put in work this off-season, as he looks to remind everyone why he holds over 40 Division 1 offers.
"I feel like this Spring, the biggest thing I improved on is being more technically sound and just knowing keys to hit and knowing what my offensive line was doing to really get in the flow of the game. I just tried to work on all the tools, improve my stiff arm, switch to both arms, do things like that, and the little things that coaches tell me. I just want to work on being elite at those specific things. I don't have to have all of the tools, but If I can get close to mastering the specific things, that is what I am trying to work on the most."
Glover has rushed for 4,023 yards and 54 touchdowns in his three-year career.