BREAKING: Cincy TE Brody Foley commits to Tennessee, talks decision with VQ
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel continues to stay hot on the recruiting trail – reeling in his fourth commit for the class of 2022 – as three-star tight end Brody Foley pledged his allegiance to the Vols Saturday afternoon.
“Being down there for the open practice [and spring game], Tennessee just felt like home,” Foley told Volquest. “That is somewhere I can definitely envision myself school wise, but coaching wise as well. I’ve talked with coach [Alex] Golesh and coach [Josh] Heupel a lot. The whole offensive coaching staff really and these are the people I want to be around.”
The Vols turned heat up on the 6-foot-6, 230 pound tight end of late, consistently reaching out via phone calls or zoom chats for weekly conversations. The Cincinnati, OH. native ventured down to Knoxville twice in the month of April to take in two open practices during the spring session.
Golesh, Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, has been leading the charge. Foley has developed a good relationship with this future position coach, talking about life and not just football.
“We talk about everything, which I think is awesome. We’ll talk about the NFL some and we talk about his kids,” the new commit said. “But football wise, he broke down my film even before I told him I was probably coming there. That’s huge and a lot of coaches would never do that even if I was already committed there.
“I thought that was pretty special. “
The Anderson High School standout is tabbed as the No. 21 player in Ohio and the 32nd tight end in the country for the class of 2022. The three-star is always a threat with the ball in his hands, but Foley molds his game on being a complete player.
“I’d like to say I’m like [Rob] Gronkowski, a threat in the run game with my point of attack on off-tackle runs,” Foley said when asked for a comparison. “But I feel like I’m also a weapon in the pass game. I’m lengthy and am hard to cover. Even if there’s a faster guy on me, I’m more physical than him and can throw him off and get open.
“I think I’m pretty special off the run. I think I can make a lot of plays on my feet – using my size to make a few extra moves and get some more yards after the catch.”
Despite already being on campus twice this spring, Foley has yet to gain the full Volunteer experience in viewing the facilities and talking with coaches in person. The new commit already has an official visit locked in for June and is looking forward to doing just that – as well as continuing to build relationships with his future teammates.
“I’m excited about getting down there to see everything, but I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the guys I’ll be playing football with,” Foley said. “Everyone I’ve talked to so far has been great. I’ve texted Tayven Jackson already and he’s a great dude. I’ve talked to a few others too.
“It’s a special place and under coach Heupel, I feel like it’s really going to blossom this year.”
The college destination is not only a perfect fit for the tight end, but it’s also ideal for his family back home. Living only 3.5 hours out from Knoxville, the Foley family plans to attend most home games and some of the closer away games, such as Kentucky.
In the end, Foley elected the Vols over Indiana, Rutgers, Minnesota and a few others. Now, the tight end can put his sole focus on his final high school football season this fall.
“I’m glad to be done with it. I loved the process, but at the end of the day, I was always wondering when this was going to be done,” Foley said about the recruiting process. “I don’t think I rushed my decision. I think I made a very thoughtful decision. I really considered all of my options.”
Foley becomes the first tight end commit for Heupel and joins Jackson, Elijah Herring and Venson Sneed who currently make up Tennessee’s 2022 recruiting class.