Peach State LB Telander Discusses First Offer From Vols, More
Before Jeremiah Telander woke up yesterday morning planning to go to Tennessee's first camp of the Summer, he was not expecting to receive an offer from the Vols, nor did he know that he was already on their radar. Telander would make the journey to Knoxville, and he left with his first Division 1 offer. He talks about all of this and more here.
"I actually woke up to my head coach calling me and saying that Coach (Chad) Creamer wants to speak with me, so I got on the phone with him," Telander recalled about his day. "He told me that he wants to come a little early to the camp and kind of do an unofficial tour of their campus. Waking up to that, I was already pumped up, so I get there, and they showed me the stadium, the locker room, the weight room, and all of that, then they get me into the pads and take a little photo shoot, so I was pretty juiced up. Then, the camp starts, and it was great, and I performed pretty well."
"After the camp, Coach BJ told me the head coach wanted to talk with me in his office, so my dad and I went up there, and Coach Heupel offered me a full scholarship," Telander said.
"I was pretty pumped up," he said of his reaction. "My heart dropped. My stomach dropped. I had been waiting for this, and to finally hear those words was just amazing."
While the Vols already had their eye on Telander, his performance at the camp was a determining factor in the extension of the offer, which is something he can be proud of.
"It made me feel even more special," Telander said of earning the offering. "They could have given me the offer before the camp, but after the camp, so I really had to work my way to it, and it made me feel really good."
During the camp, Telander quickly became aware that he had the attention of the Tennessee staff.
"Coach BJ stayed with me most of the time, and Coach Heupel was watching most of the time," he said. "I kind of saw them and how they were sticking with me."
The opportunity to see how Vols linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary carries himself was another important part of the day for Telander.
"I think it would be great," he said on the potential of playing for Jean-Mary. "It is a new coaching staff, and I like the way they are already rebuilding things there. Coach BJ is a really friendly guy, and I feel like he is a really good coach."
While Telander's tour of Tennessee was brief, he still had one key takeaway.
"Honestly, how close everything was," he said. "The dorms, the weight room, the practice facility and the dining room all were within 500 square feet, so I just thought that was amazing."
Tennessee was Telander's first offer and the Vols will have a special place because of this, but as his recruitment intensifies, he hopes to see communication stay consistent.
"Just communication, really," Telander said of what he wants to see from Tennessee moving forward. "I want to be able to talk with the coaches, see how each other is doing, and it all just really depends on what my recruitment does for the next two years."
More offers are likely around the corner for Telander, as he has a busy summer planned.
"I was at Clemson today, and that is a hard offer to get," he said." I just wanted to get my name out to them. Tomorrow I am going to a Mercer showcase, and there will be about 20 different schools there, including Georgia Tech, Coastal Carolina, Oregon, and Missouri."
Telander caught the attention of the Tennessee staff on Tuesday, and the 6'2", 210lbs linebacker will likely turn more heads moving forward.
"I think the biggest thing for me is as a middle linebacker, I am very athletic," Telander said of what he believes stands out about his game. "I think most middle linebackers don't really have that athleticism to the game. I am very versatile with it. I play basketball and do track. I actually placed fourth at the state high jump. As a middle linebacker, I think having that athleticism factor is pretty big."
"I can always improve on my speed," Telander said of what he would like to improve with his game. "I wouldn't say it is a weakness because I have pretty good speed, but I always want to get that forty-time down. Explosion in my hips to where I can make harder, and just be able to explode those hips even better."
As he continues to look at schools and keeps all options open, he knows what the bigger factors are in his decision when the time comes.
"I think taking a four-and-a-half-hour radius from where I live and looking at that basis," Telander said. "Of course, I would be interested in other options, but that is a big deal for me with staying kind of close to home. I like the tradition in schools. Tennessee has a good tradition, and I am very interested in a rich tradition."
Being relatively new to the recruiting scene, Telander offered up what people should know about him when asked.
"I think they should know that football is the love of life. I have a very hard work ethic, and I am excited to see where this recruitment goes."