Before all recruiting trips were halted thanks to COVID-19, in-state defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove of Pearl-Cohn High School was in Knoxville a couple weeks ago and had the opportunity to check in with Volunteer coaches one Sunday afternoon.

“It was cool,” Breedlove said leaving campus. “I got to talk with coach [Derrick] Ansley some more and continue to build that relationship with him. I had a lot of fun – today was a good day.”

The Nashville, Tenn. native stands in at 6-foot, 180 pounds and ranks as the 28th cornerback in the 2021 class. Breedlove is also a top-30 prospect in the state of Tennessee.

“Every time coach Ansley sees me, he’s always quizzing me on how the defensive backs are supposed to play,” the three-star said. “Coach [Tee] Martin is always joking around with me too. They are good people.”

Breedlove is no stranger to Rocky Top. In being only a few hours west, the prospect has had the opportunity to visit campus a couple of times. Sunday’s stop was brief but beneficial.

“All we really did was talk,” Breedlove said of his visit. “We just spent a couple of hours going over some stuff and continued to build the relationships.”

Tennessee’s coaching staff has been known for building strong relationships in recruitment under Jeremy Pruitt where topics of conversations often venture off the football field.

“It feels like family up here, honestly,” the Middle Tennessean said. “Coach Pruitt is a great persona and I really feel like he, coach Ansley and Martin can be great mentors. This is not only a place where I could see myself becoming a good football player – but a better person, too.”

The defensive back has 22 offers as of now – many coming from the SEC. Tennessee joins Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt from the conference, while other Power Five programs such as Baylor, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Ohio State and more are in the mix.

“Everybody is still in play. They are all coming at me hard right now,” Breedlove said. “I don’t really have anything planned as far as a commitment date right now. I’ll be taking more official visits to places like Tennessee, Ohio State, Baylor and TCU when the dead period is over.”

The Volunteer target also runs track and plays wide receiver at Pearl-Cohn.

“I could really see myself playing here. I can’t wait to get back.”