Vols Offer 'Meant a Lot' to Fast-Rising Peach State LB

Recruiting kids from a winning culture is usually a plus. The Jefferson Dragons are just that, a winning program. According to the Jefferson Dragon's Twitter bio, the Dragons are 104-21 over the last ten years, including a state title in 2012

. Kadin Bailey, a 2022 linebacker,  may soon see a rise in his recruitment but has already had a few teams take notice, with one extending an offer.

 Bailey has a very good frame for the position as a rising junior. Bailey is 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 192-pounds.

 The recruitment of Bailey has been a bit slow, and just like most young athletes, the pandemic has altered everything. For the younger athletes, the college visits and camps are vital in the earlier stages.

 Bailey has still been hearing from a few schools that are emerging with interest for the young prospect. "I've heard from Georgia, Clemson, and Auburn mostly besides Tennessee," says Bailey.

 The overall feedback Bailey has received is very cut and dry. Bailey says, "The overall message I'm hearing from coaches is that I need some more film, and I need to go to a camp to show my skills a little more."

 Bailey diagnosed a couple of strengths in his game and the film he does have backs the claim. "My best attributes are that I'm long and a good tackler in space," explains Bailey. Those two may seem simple, but for his position, those two can really make a difference in the play for a linebacker.

 July 11th, Tennessee became Kadin Bailey's first offer. The offer was extended by Tennessee Inside Linebacker Coach Brian Niedermeyer

 "The Tennessee offer means a lot for me because it was my first and kind of makes me feel like I'm gonna have a good recruitment process because Tennessee is a really good school.," explained Bailey on what the Tennessee offer meant to him.

 Bailey seems to like Niedermeyer a bit already, even though it is early on. Bailey would then summarize the message by saying, "He was basically saying that he's like making a projection of how good he thinks I'll be in the future."

 The 2022 linebacker would then go on to discuss Niedermeyer a bit more by saying, "Even though I really haven't talked with him that much yet, I think he's gonna be a good coach for me and help me get to where I need to be."

 The young Jefferson Dragon has yet to visit or take any virtual tours of Knoxville, however, that is likely to change soon.

 Tennessee being the first team to extend an offer has them in a great spot for the 2022 linebacker. As other teams come into the picture, Tennessee will have to maintain the level of mutual interest with Bailey.

 "Going forward, I just want them to show me that they really want me to be apart of their team in the future," says Bailey.

 With the likes of Georgia, Clemson, and Auburn also reaching out, it shouldn’t be much longer before other offers begin to fall for the Peach State linebacker.