The Tennessee football coaching staff received some very good news Monday evening.

Defensive line coach Rodney Garner reeled in a versatile player from rival territory in 2024 four-star Vestavia Hills (Ala.) defensive end Jordan Ross, who chose the Vols over Alabama, Florida and Texas.

VolReport dives in to take a closer look at the decision to see how Tennessee was able to pull this one in the boat.

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The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Ross is the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Alabama. The current Yellow Hammer is one of the nation's best at the defensive end position – coming in as the No. 45 player overall according to Rivals.

The Rivals100 athlete is a huge win for Garner and the defensive staff after recently missing on a pair of five-stars in Williams Nwaneri, as he chose the home state school in Missouri, and Kamarion Franklin, who also stayed home by committing to Ole Miss.

While Ross did not choose a school from his home state, what was it about Rocky Top that appealed to him?

For starters, the Vols have consistently recruited Ross since Levorn Harbin extended an offer back in September of 2022. The relationship is solid and was described as "great."

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: 2024 in-state DB Jackson Mathews talks season opener, Vols recruitment

Josh Heupel is often bragged on by prospects and their families as a very active head coach on the recruiting side of things. Ross recently told VolReport of a pregame story that went a long way to show how interested the Vols were in Ross.

"(Heupel) is a great guy," Ross told VolReport. "He knows what he wants in a guy, and he finds them. He came up to me at the Akron game while everyone else was scrambling around and had a five-to-10-minute chat with me and my mom."

Anytime you have the head coach making time for a prospect like that on gameday, it usually goes a long way with the players and their families. As much weight as that gesture carries for Ross and his mother, there is another coach who may hold a bigger key to this one.

Garner's coaching background is well-respected in the profession and, like most of the coaches on this staff, a word often used to describe him is "genuine."

As the relationship with Garner at one time was detailed as great, it seems that it became even better over time.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: 2025 four-star in-state ATH Jaylan Morgan recaps latest Tennessee visit

"I talk to coach Garner pretty much like every night," Ross said. "He helps me with all of my problems at home and school. We talk about my homework at times... You know, he's like a dad to me, and having coaches like that, it means a lot, honestly."

Two of the factors involved in this recruitment seemed to be academics and relationships. In a previous interview, Ross informed VolReport of these two elements.

"I'd say building a great relationship with everyone in the program and having a great education plan," Ross said. "I've looked into sports broadcasting, and they all (his top schools) have good departments."

VolReport also found out last week that Ross has had a peer recruiter in his ear about joining the Tennessee recruiting class.

2024 five-star wide receiver and Vols commit Mike Matthews revealed that he had been in contact with Ross about the Vols.

"I've been telling him, ‘It would be great to play together and to have him on my team,’” Matthews said. "We are building dogs. … We want Rocky Top to have a good team and a good fanbase. Well, they already have a good fanbase, but we're still building the team."

It appears this peer-recruiting tactic is already paying off for Tennessee.

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