Vols TE Target Foley Recaps Saturday Trip to Knoxville For Open Practice, Setting Up Next Trips

Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson High School tight end Brody Foley has seen his recruitment explode since the end of his junior season. The junior standout has watched offers pour in with others likely on the way. Foley took a trip to Tennessee this past weekend for the first open practice of the Josh Heupel era. He recaps the trip, discusses his recruitment and what his plans are with VR2 on SI.

"First off, the stadium, I didn't realize it was that big," Foley told VR2 on SI following the trip. "That thing is like a palace. It didn't even seem that big inside of it, and you look across at the opposite press box and top of the bowl, and you are looking pretty much straight up. It was crazy. The campus was super nice too. It was one of the best campuses I have been on. It is newish, but it is well-manicured, and everything was super clean."

"I think the real highlight was the practice," Foley said. "That was my first time seeing a D1 practice, and it was awesome. I loved the high intensity that was going on all over the place. All of the kids seemed like they were having fun. Everybody was out doing something, which was awesome."

"I think all of the things they did offensive, with the gun look, especially what the tight end does as a big key in the run game lead blocking," Foley said of what he thought about how he could fit in Tennessee's offense. "I feel like all of the stuff I do now I can easily transition over to the college level."

Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh has led the charge for the Vols, and Foley got the first chance to see what Golesh has been pitching to him, something he paid close attention to.

"It was really interesting seeing Coach Golesh because I don't really have a tight ends coach at the high school level," he said. "So, I thought it was pretty cool because I have never seen tight ends do tight end drills. In practice, I usually work with the receivers in drills or o-line drills, and it is never a good mix. All of the drills they did were pretty interesting. It was just good watching all of the drills they did. I called him after and asked him a few questions about it, and he answered most of them."

"It has been pretty well so far," he added about his relationship with the Vols OC and tight end coach. "It is weird because it is all online. I wish I could meet him and all of the coaches at the different schools. It is just good to put a face with a name. It was cool to be able to look down and see him in person, even from afar. It has been a pretty good relationship so far. I think we have built a pretty solid relationship in a short amount of time. He is always straight up with me. He will always be straight up with me. I don't think he will BS me, which is awesome."

"I think that is pretty big," he added on the potential of playing for Golesh as the offensive coordinator and his position coach. "It just helps because he knows. I think a lot of times the tight end can get lost in the sauce in the run game or the pass game, but I think with Golesh being the OC, that will never happen because those are his guys; he is always around them, so he knows them and what is best for them to do. He will put them in the best situation to succeed on the field."

"Just build off the relationship, really," he said about what he hopes to see from Tennessee next. "We are going down to the spring game in two weeks, so we are looking forward to that and seeing more of the offense and around the school. I think we are going to set up an official visit in June. I just have to finalize it."

"I mean, it is going pretty well," Foley said of his recruitment. "I kind of blew up at the end of the season, so it has been kind of hectic since November. I didn't expect to be in this situation because I didn't have any looks after my sophomore season. But it has been a great process so far. I am going to have a tough decision wherever I go. I think I have like seven or eight schools left, so it is going to be which school is the best out of those choices. I really like Rutgers. I think Minnesota is up there too. Indiana. Illinois is interesting. I have been talking with Northwestern and Auburn, too, so we will see where it goes from there."

As Foley works to narrow his focus, he knows what he is looking for in a school.

"Just a place like walking around, can I see myself going to school here and see myself in the role as a student," he said. "In a team, I think culture-wise, I think the schools I named off all have a great culture, but you want to be in a program with good culture. You don't want to be somewhere for four years where the people don't want to be around you. You need to feel wanted in the program. I think that is the reason why guys are transferring out because they are going for the hype around the school instead of the actual people there. I think Tennessee has a good mix. They aren't riding off the past. They are going to make you a better person and a better football player."

Foley will do his due diligence before making a decision, but he has a timeline in mind for how he would like for his recruitment to play out.

"In an ideal situation, I would like to make my decision before my senior season. If that's not the case, I would like to have it to two, three, or four schools and know this is the group I want to keep looking at so I am not overwhelmed with the recruiting."

"I think I have a really good work ethic," he said about what a school will get in him as a player. "I think I can throw on weight, and I will mid-year, so I am not necessarily saying I would play, but I would give the position depth just because I think I can be ready, even if I am playing special teams. I am a hard worker, and I will work my ass off once I get there. I won't be any trouble off the field because I will get good grades."