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Lane lands hometown offer

School holidays are thought to be relaxing, laid back days for students. But a Monday morning text for Gibbs High School (Corryton, TN) offensive lineman Ollie Lane has made it anything but relaxing.

“It's the best morning I've ever had,” an excited Lane said. “Coach (Butch) Jones texted me this morning. As soon as I saw the text, I got up and called him back. I was like is this going to be it. We started talking and he asked me if I was sitting down. I said yes and he said he was offering me a scholarship and wanted me to come join their football family and play football for them.

Lane, who at the Vols junior day on Saturday with his family, was beyond thrilled with the news.

“I was astonished,” Lane said. “I couldn't believe it. I'm really excited. It's here at home. I have been a huge Tennessee fan for so long and having the opportunity to play for the them is huge.

“My mom heard me talking upstairs and the came to she steps and when I got off the phone I told her what happened and she couldn't believe it. I called dad and he's pretty excited as well.”

The Vol offer continues a run of offers for Lane who picked up scholarships from Duke and Georgia Tech over the weekend. Over spring break, Lane and his family will see Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

“It's really exciting and it's really humbling to understand that I'm going to be able to play at such a high level of football,” Lane said. “It's really exciting and my family and I are so happy.

“I want to explore all my options. I want to see where I can go flourish and be the best football player I can possibly be.”

But Lane doesn't deny the significance of the offer from his hometown school.

“It's huge,” Lane admitted. “The Tennessee offer is great because I have the option to stay home and play. The chance to play football for the Volunteers has been a dream of mine since I was little. I still have a lot of options. When I make my choice it will be a hard one. I have my family with me to help me decide what to do.”

On campus Saturday, Lane visited with new offensive line coach Walt Wells. Wells told Lane he saw him as a center or a guard. Lane said he thinks his appearance on Saturday is the reason he landed the Vol offer.

“The last few times I had been over there, it was cold and I was wearing my big heavy letterman jacket. Saturday, they saw me in a t-shirt and could see how big I really am compared to what they see on the film. I think that was the game changer for them,” Lane offered.

As for Tennessee's new line coach, Lane said he and his family are impressed with him and that the their mental make-up is very similar.

“I love coach Wells. He is a great guy. My family and I really like him,” Lane said. “He is really funny, but I feel like when it's time to get down to business and get serious, he does that. I feel like we have the same kind of personalities.”

With a recruitment that shows no signs of slowing down soon, Lane knows he looking for a couple of things. Academics are important as he aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon and he's looking for the school that fits him personally.

“What I am doing on these visits is to be able to see where I fit it and where I feel like I can be great fitting in to the program and the school as well,” Lane explained. “I want to have a world class education where I can achieve everything that I want to achieve.”

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