In-State Cornerback Mason-Young 'Surprised' by Vols Offer, Planning Multiple Trips to Knoxville
Tennessee recently offered 2023 Covington (Tenn.) cornerback A.C. Mason-Young. The 5'11, 170lbs prospect is set for a big camp circuit, and he discussed his upcoming visit plans and the Tennessee offer with VR2 on SI.
"It caught me by surprise because I really didn't know they were going to offer me this soon," he said of the offer. "My coach had told me they were interested in me last year, but I just didn't know they were going to offer me this soon. I was really excited."
"They told me they had liked my game, and they had been watching me for a while," Mason-Young said on the message from the Vols. "They like my speed, and they would love to have me up in June."
The offer from Tennessee was the 2023 prospect's first, and it was special to him.
"It meant a lot to me because they are the home state, and they were the first to offer me," he said.
Mason-Young will make two trips to Knoxville in the coming weeks, as he will camp and take an unofficial visit on separate dates. He will be in Knoxville the first two weekends of the month.
"I am looking forward to seeing the football field and the university, and how the coaching staff is and if I will have a good bond with them," he added about what he hopes to see on those visits.
An offer in hand is not enough for Mason-Young, as he is looking to prove that Tennessee made the right decision by extending the opportunity to him.
"I am looking to show that I can play with anybody in Tennessee and that I can cover anyone in the state of Tennessee or anywhere," he said of what he is looking to prove about his game during the private camp setting.
"I just know what people are going to do before they do it," Mason-Young said of what he does best on the field. "When I am locked in, I just like that I am very fast off the edge and aggressive."
There is still a long way to go in the recruitment, but Mason-Young knows what he is looking for in the process.
"I want a coaching staff that believes in me and won't go up there, and just a place that I can feel at home when I am there."