Vols 'Make A Strong Push' With Elite DL During Saturday Visit

Tennessee hosted a highly sought-after visitor this past weekend in Phenix City (Ala.) Central high school standout defensive end Tomarrion Parker. Parker is viewed as a top-50 prospect nationally, and he discusses his weekend visit to Rocky Top and upcoming trips.

"Seeing it and showing my parents around the city and the campus," Parker said of the best part of the trip to Tennessee. "Getting to see the classrooms and see what else they have to offer. We've been up there once before with them to a game, and they didn't get to see that, so this trip getting to build a better relationship with the coaches. So that's good."

On top of another look at the city, the trip allowed Parker the opportunity to build on an already strong bond with Tennessee Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner.

"It's real good," Parker said of the relationship between the two. "Coach Garner is a real great coach; he's been in the SEC for like 32 years. So he definitely has experience putting guys in the league. He definitely will get the job done."

"First, we talked about football, but we also talked about being smart with everything. We talked about taxes and everything like that. He said to be smart with your money, buy land, and not just material things. Tax write-offs and things like that. It was some good information."

The fact that Garner cares about his players more than just off the field is important to Parker.

"Definitely important to me to know they actually care and want you to be successful outside football. I definitely like that," he said.

This was Parker's third trip to Knoxville, and it allowed him the chance to see Tennessee's basketball team play in front of a capacity crowd

"It was enjoyable," Parker said of the environment. "Tennessee fans are die-hard fans. The game went good. It was loud, and I enjoyed it."

So coming out of the weekend, where do the Vols stand with Parker?

"They're definitely pushing and trying to get that official visit out of me," he said. "They did make a good push this weekend."

Parker has a top-five schools list consisting of Tennessee, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, and Ohio State. He has plans to see two of those contenders in the coming weeks, with trips to the other two in the works.

"I will be at Georgia on March 19th," Parker said of his upcoming plans. Had to get back there. Excited to see anything I didn't see before and build relationships with coaches. I know we're going to bowl but if not, golfing. Whatever it is, I'm trying to win."

Head Coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs staff has the defending national champions squarely in the mix for his services.

"He keeps a staff that, they don't want to go nowhere," Parker said of what he likes about Georgia. "Stability is very important to me. They speak very highly of things I do. I have been keeping a good relationship with Robert Muschamp, that is my guy, and they're young, so they can relate to me from a team aspect."

During his Spring break, which spans from March 19th to the 26th, Parker plans on spending multiple days at Alabama.

"They're more telling me that if I go to Alabama, it's a grind," Parker said of what the message is from the home state school. "Everybody sees they go to the championship every year; not everybody sees the work that goes into it. You've got to want to win and be successful to be there. They really do preach that a lot."

Parker plans to see Ohio State and Penn State at some point, possibly on official and unofficial visits, reassess his recruitment after, use the official visits he feels necessary, and then go into decision mode before his season.

As Parker is already on these visits, he is working through the recruiting process and knows what he is looking for in a school.

"That home feeling," he said of this. "When I first step on campus, anywhere I go, where I feel most comfortable. Where I know the coaches have a plan for me, what I want to do, where I want to be, who can help me outside football as well. Just want to make sure I'm in the perfect spot."

Whenever the time comes, Parker knows what the school will get in his services.

"Definitely a hard worker. Somebody who can come in and lead, who can be a great addition to the locker room and bring great vibes. Somebody who will work hard, get better and compete."