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FSU commit details OV with the Vols, is 'really interested in Tennessee'

Back in April, FSU commit Mike Morris called his inaugural trip to Tennessee “really amazing,” but the Vols managed to top that this weekend during the 4-star athlete’s official visit on Rocky Top

“It was something greater than that,” Morris told VolQuest.

“I really like the coaches. I really like what they’re trying to do. I really like the offense. I’m really interested in Tennessee. The people around Tennessee. Not just the coaches or the players, just the people. Like the people in the town. They just love Tennessee there. It’s just really nice.”

The American Heritage B/D (Fla.) defensive end/tight end has been committed to Florida State for more than two years now. He's a legacy with the Seminoles, as his father Mike Morris played offensive line for FSU in early 1990s.

But a coaching change in Tallahassee has opened the doors for other programs to pursue Morris, as Tennessee, Michigan, Miami and Penn State are among the schools trying to flip the blue-chip recruit.

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The Vols have three staffers — Charles Kelly, Tino Sunseri and Bert Biffani — who Morris has a nice history with dating back to his early commitment with the 'Noles, making his visit to Tennessee this weekend all the more comfortable.

“It’s really easy for me to ease into the visit because I’ve grown up knowing them,” he said.

"They’ve watched me grow up and produce. They watched me as a kid. They loved me then. Now that they’re at Tennessee, still (recruiting me), it shows how much a family they really are.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Sunshine State native also connected with noted jokester Brian Niedermeyer, as the Vols are actually recruiting Morris to play tight end. Tennessee already has two tight end commits in the 2019 class, but Morris “definitely feels wanted” by the Vols.

“They really want me at tight end,” he added.

“Honestly, (Niedermeyer) is a really goofy guy, and I’m a goofy person so we just vibed. I was cool to him and I really felt a good vibe from him.”

Morris enjoyed the usual bells and whistles of an official visit, getting a nice dinner in Neyland Stadium, taking a “flashy photo shoot” and hanging out with players around Knoxville. He had a film session with Niedermeyer, too, but a nearly 90-minute conversation with Jeremy Pruitt was among the most memorable parts of the trip and a major reason why Morris is “definitely open” to the idea of possibly flipping to the Vols.

Sitting in Pruitt’s office with his parents, Morris said they had a long conversation about life, leadership, family and faith.

Morris recalled explicitly how Pruitt told him, “Do you. Just be yourself. …We’re a family here. Nobody gets left behind.”

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