Alabama athlete enjoys Tennessee trip

Waterloo, Alabama athlete Junior Summerhill visited Tennessee over the weekend in his first opportunity to see the Vol program. He plans on seeing several schools over the next few months and Rocky Top was a great place to start.

"I liked the weight room a lot," Summerhill said. "I liked all the facilities. I talked to the coaches and got a good feel for what Tennessee was all about."

Among the coaches that he spoke with a good bit was defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley.

"I liked him a lot," Summerhill said. "He gave me his number and he talked to me about free safety and how I'd fit into their defense. He wants me to come back to a camp this summer."

Summerhill hasn't been offered by Tennessee yet, but he's got some solid scholarships early on including LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss and others. A Tennessee offer is something he'd like to earn this spring or summer.

Summerhill didn't play as a junior after being deemed ineligible. That makes this spring ultra-important to his recruitment because it will be the first time college coaches see him on the field in over a year.

"I can't wait to get back out there," Summerhill said. "Spring practice and camps are big this spring and summer. I know coaches will stop by to check on me and schools want me to come camp so they can see me in person."

That was the message echoed by Tennessee assistant Will Friend over the weekend.

"He told me that the coaches want to see me because they haven't had the chance to see me on the field," Summerhill said.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Summerhill has solid size for safety. He also packs a punch when he is running the ball on offense, but what else does he bring to the table?

"I feel like I run the ball well," Summerhill said. "I'm also a team leader too. I work hard at the sport and I want it bad. I want my team to have success bad so I'm always pushing guys."

Summerhill plays both running back and safety in high school. Schools are recruiting him as an athlete, but he'd like to play safety at the next level. He's driven to improve his game and is constantly working even with football being taken away over the last year.

"I want to play safety, but I'll play wherever the college wants me to play," Summerhill said. "I don't care really. I just want to play ball. I work at it hard because I want to be good. I want to improve my game."