Kaleb Webb talks Tennessee offer, two teams he's hearing from most
Kaleb Webb camped with Tennessee back in June and left hoping that he had earned an offer from the Vols.
While that offer for the three-star wide receiver out of Powder Springs, Georgia didn’t come until two months later, Webb is grateful the offer ultimately came when Tennessee offered on Saturday.
“It was a great feeling,” Webb told Volquest. “I wish it would have come a little bit earlier, when I went to a camp there back in June. I did the whole photo shoot thing and really enjoyed my time up there, so I was just hoping it would come earlier, but I’m still blessed to receive an offer from them. I’m grateful they took a chance on me.”
Webb committed to East Carolina three days after camping with Tennessee. Since he committed to the Pirates, he’s picked up offers from Vanderbilt, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and now the Vols.
Though he says it would be hard for any team to flip him from ECU, he admits that he’s listening to other schools. Particularly Tennessee and Kentucky, the two schools recruiting him the hardest outside of ECU.
“I’m still looking at other schools because it’s just a blessing to be in the spot I’m in,” Webb said. “Not everybody gets this chance, so I’m just taking this all in. But I would say I’m really strong on East Carolina and it’s going to take a lot to flip from them.”
The next step for Webb as other teams enter his recruitment is setting up visits for the fall. He intends to make it up for a game on Rocky Top, though he hasn’t decided on a date.
“I definitely want to get up to Tennessee for a game, and at Kentucky, if I have a chance,” Webb said. “Those schools are recruiting me the hardest outside of East Carolina. I definitely want to get up to both schools to see how the culture is and how it is on gameday.”
Webb will be watching on Thursday night when Tennessee takes the field against Bowling Green for the first game of the Josh Heupel era.
What does the 6-foot-3 wideout want to see from the Vols offense? It’s pretty simple: explosive plays.
“I want to see explosive plays because those really excite me, and I also like special in explosive plays, so I’m looking for them to take some shots,” Webb said. “Plus, I want to see some diversity in their offense like different running schemes and how well the quarterback operates in the system.”
“Coach Heupel’s offense is actually the same offense we run at my high school. That’s really intriguing to me because I can come in and already have a head start. And I’ll have an opportunity for big plays because of it.”
Webb’s love for explosive plays are evident in his game. It’s why Tennessee offered.
In the first game of his senior season two weeks ago, he scored four touchdowns in McEachern’s 53-20 win over Kell inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the Corky Kell Classic. Webb caught six passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a kick 86-yards for a touchdown.
Webb is also a track star at McEachern. He was timed at 10.91 seconds in the 100-meter run earlier this spring.
“Tennessee likes how I catch the ball, plus I’m a tall guy with good speed, so I can stretch the field vertically,” Webb said. “They really like my explosive plays.”
“Tennessee was saying both of their outside receivers were graduating after this season, so if I were to go up there, I could compete for a spot as a freshman. That sounded good.”