In-state back, Jabari Small, talks Tennessee, recruitment, and future plans here

Jabari Small committed to Ole Miss in July before the start of his senior season. Small then would go on to have a Mr. Football finalist season at Briarcrest. Small recently backed off of that Ole Miss pledge and opens up on where his recruitment stands here.

Small, an Ole Miss legacy, had to make a tough decision to de-commit from the Rebels earlier this week. He said on what went into that decision, "I feel like everything happens for a reason. It was fine throughout the season, but then I felt like this might not be the place for me. They were not as stable as I thought they were going to be. I have a great relationship with the coaches there, but the instability of not knowing what coaches were going to be there was.

Small added, " It was not too hard to de-commit after I heard that Coach Luke was fired because I build relationships and commit to coaches. Obviously, I have to love the feel at the college too. When I went on my last trip to Ole Miss, I thought about would I fit in there, and I felt kind of questionable about that. I just de-committed to make sure I make the right decision."

Small said after he broke the news of his de-commitment, "Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, and TCU" all reached out to him. He did add that the interest from TCU was new.

Tennessee has stayed constant with their recruitment of Small even during his pledge to Ole Miss. Small said, "first off, Coach Johnson is a great coach. He is one of those coaches that sometimes you do not even talk about football with him. He is one of those types of guys, just a great guy. He never stopped communicating with me even when I committed, and that shows a lot to me. We just kept building our relationship throughout the whole season. He would tell me, "good luck or good game" so he kept it honest with me."

Small continued, "he came to watch me play and that meant a lot to me. Then I went on a visit during the South Carolina game, and everybody knows how that game went. It was a great game, and I went and had fun. There were some things I loved about that visit. It really opened my eyes."

Small will be back in Knoxville on the weekend of December 13th for an official visit.

Small said on his future plans, "if I commit to Tennessee, I could sign, but it could be kind of rushing it. I am just making sure I make the right decision. I do not want to rush anything because once I sign those papers it is over. It really depends on how I feel and how the visit goes. If the visit goes great, and I feel like I want to come here, and my parents are comfortable with it, then yeah, I could sign early. We still need an official visit because my parents have not seen it officially yet either. If everything works out, there is a possibility I could sign early."

Small said on his relationship with fellow Tennessee target Omari Thomas, and the appeal to stay and play in-state, "it is a big deal. The coaches are pitching staying in stay and playing for the fans. The number of fans they have is crazy. Us playing together at the next level is a big deal. We have been playing together since we were six years old, and I still have pictures of us when we were knee-high. It is a big deal for our interest in Tennnessee. That is what sets them apart for me kind of. At the end of the day, we are going to do what is best for us. It is special to think about playing together at the next level together, though."

Small will make another tough decision in the coming weeks, but he is coming off of a big chapter in his life at Briarcrest Christian School. He was chosen as a finalist for the prestigious Mr. Football award after a stellar season carrying the football. He said on this honor, "just being on that stage is a big honor, and it was one of my goals. Obviously, I came up a little short, but I would not want to lose to anybody else. It just goes to show all the hard work I did. I feel like I took a big leap from my junior to senior season. It was just taking the game more serious. I feel like the biggest difference between last year and this year was the mental part of my game. Just understanding and having more experience to lead. I gave my all this year, and to be on that stage was a big deal for me."

When asked what one of these teams would get in him as a player, Small said, " they are getting a hard-worker. I do not care who is in front of me on the depth chart. I am a humble, hard-worker that will be coachable and a team player."

Jabari Small is the 638th overall prospect in America, the number 11 all-purpose back, and the number 20 prospect from the state of Tennessee.