Prized Edge Caleb Herring Gearing Up for Visits, Off-Season

Caleb Herring is the consensus top recruit in the state of Tennessee in the 2023 class, and he is hearing from plenty of suitors. He plans to get out on visits in the month of January and into the spring as he begins to work on a decision. He discusses this and more with Sports Illustrated. 

"I'm gonna try to go to Michigan, maybe Michigan State, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee," Herring said of his visit plans."I am going to try and get all of them in January. I am not sure of dates just yet, but if not, I will get to the others in the spring."

Herring is becoming a seasoned vet to the recruiting process, and he knows what he is going to focus on as he starts taking these trips. 

"I'm just trying to see if the school is how I imagine it to be," he said. "I might think a school is nice off campus, but if I visit and do not like it that will show me how I actually feel about the school."

Herring holds offers from including the likes of Michigan, USC, Kentucky and others, and several programs are holding out for him to visit before pulling the trigger. 

"I didn't mention them but West Virginia and Virginia have been pushing hard for me," he said. "Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, too. They are trying to get me to visit first before they pull the trigger on an offer."

Herring is getting the typical sibling recruitment treatment, given his brother signed with Tennessee and other teams want to see if he is truly interested in leaving the state before offering him. Herring was clear when asked what he would tell coaches yet to offer him. 

"I'm a great player, I'm a leader, and I'm open to anything," he said of this. "That's what I would tell them."

The home state Vols are certainly a major factor in his recruitment as well. He has seen the family environment, and he likes the way they have handled his recruitment. 

"I've been communicating a lot with Coach Ek and Coach BJ," Herring said of the Vols.  "When they came down, they were really talking to Elijah [Herring] about how it is going to be once he gets there. To me, they really just talked about family things."

The fact that Tennessee has not tried to push Herring into the class or sell a strong recruiting pitch to him has been one of the more impressive parts of the recruitment in his mind. 

"It shows me they are family oriented, put family first and treat the players like family," he said. 

Herring is in no rush to reach a decision, as he wants to make sure he makes the best decision for himself. 

"After I get done with going to camps and taking visits, which is around summer time," he said of a timeline. 

Everyday, Herring's focus is on bettering himself as a player. He had a big off-season coming into his junior season and he saw that pay off. 

"I have gotten bigger, stronger, faster, grown mentally playing the game, smoother, better with my pass rush," he said of where his game has grown the most. "I've just gotten better overall and stepped up as one of the leaders on the team."

This spring will be a bit different for Herring as all of his focus will shift towards football. 

"I'm not playing baseball, so I'm doing track and am going to train with my 7 on 7 team," he said of those plans. "I'm probably going to train with my other trainers as well, they are called On Top Athletics."

Herring is now the lead guy for Tennessee Select 7v7, one of the state's premier 7v7 teams, which has produced elite college talent year after year, and he is ready to embrace that role.

"For me, it is a blessing," he said. It's a blessing to see how people look up to me when it comes to being a leader on the team. I never imagined being that guy or being in the position I am in right now."