Back-to-back trips to Tennessee shows Kaleb Webb what he needs to see
Back-to-back weekend trips to Knoxville to catch the Vols in action have shown ECU wide receiver commit Kaleb Webb what he felt like he needed to see.
Webb pulled up to Neyland Stadium last Saturday to watch Tennessee's 42-20 win over South Carolina and did so once again this weekend to see UT take on Ole Miss.
"I wanted to see them against a more competitive SEC team and I feel like I saw what I needed to see," Webb told VolQuest. "Just the ability to compete with Ole Miss means they’re headed in the right direction under Coach Heupel. I could see that over the next few years they’ll be one of the top teams in the SEC.
“The environment was amazing. Really just seeing how the fans interacted and supported their team throughout the entirety of the game was great. Wish Tennessee would have won, but it was a great game to watch. Back-and-forth and I liked what I saw.”
Webb committed to ECU over the summer on June 27. Since then, the McEachern High School product out of Powder Springs, Georgia has seen his recruitment pick up.
The 6-foot-4, 195 lbs. receiver has taken visits to ECU, South Carolina and to the Vols so far this season. Webb will take an official visit to Louisville this upcoming weekend and also intends to take an official to Houston and Ole Miss at some point.
Webb said he has talked to Tennessee about an official visit and that the Vols have encouraged him to wait until later in the year to do so.
“I’m still evaluating and I want to take some more visits to other schools," Webb said. "But my bond with Tennessee is getting stronger and stronger every time I go up there. I’m still evaluating and seeing what fits me best.”
Webb's bond with Tennessee has grown for a number of reasons.
“When I go up there I feel like I’m a main priority," Webb said. "I always have great talks with Coach Heupel, Coach Burns, Coach Golesh and Coach Pope. Plus seeing how they’re changing the culture and how I can be incorporated into the offense. They run a similar offense to what we run in high school. They’ve just pulled me closer.”
It hasn't been just the coaches that have helped Webb's bond with Tennessee grow. It's been the players as well.
When Webb was in town for the South Carolina game, he spent the day following the win with current Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
“He was giving me the spill and making sure I was picking the right one and what to expect if I came," Webb said. "He was telling me the culture is a lot better under the new coaching staff and he feels like he’s getting a fair shot under the new coaching staff. He said the guys are really buying in.”
As for the shenanigans inside of Neyland Stadium on Saturday night against Ole Miss, Webb didn't think much of it.
"It just shows how passionate they are to be honest," Webb said. "It’s a little bit irresponsible, but at the same time, it just shows how serious they take football and how much they want to win. Even though it didn’t look good, from the outside looking in, I feel like there’s a deeper meaning behind it. And I feel like the refs didn’t call a fair game and some people just got out of hand.”
Tennessee currently has commitments from three wide receivers in Cam Miller, Marquarius White and Chas Nimrod.