Lawrence sees home state Vols' growth

Class of 2020 athlete Keshawn Lawrence has been to Rocky Top several times. He made a return trip on Saturday to see the Vols beat Kentucky 24-7. The 6-2, 185-pound Nashville native enjoyed the win and likes what he sees happening in Knoxville.

“It was cool. It was fun. It was cold, but it was fun,” Lawrence said. “I feel like they are improving a lot. It's been impressive to see them beat a couple of ranked teams. Coach Pruitt is making a difference.

“I can see the team coming along. Right now they still need to be more consistent because everything is still new, but you can see the progress taking place. They compete.”

Lawrence, who is a 4-star standout at Ensworth Hight School, said his focus Saturday was on how things were handled on game days.

“We didn't really talk about me. We talked about the game,” Lawrence said. “I didn't want it to be about me. I wanted to see how they were on game day. They did make it clear that they could use my athleticism in the secondary.”

Being a Nashville native, Lawrence knows plenty of the current Vols. He speaks with those guys frequently who have made it clear what life is like as a Vol.

“A lot of them tell me how it's real. How you have to buckle up. They like it. He (coach Pruitt) doesn't baby them. He tells them what they need to be doing, how they need to be doing it and when they need to do it. That's why I like too.”

In addition to recruiting Lawrence, the Vols are recruiting his family — an idea that really impresses the Rivals100 prospect.

“They have always showed me that they care and how interested they are in me,” Lawrence offered. “It's always a good time there. They are real with me. The tell me what I need to do and how I need to do it. They always check in with me and my family.

“A lot of schools don't really talk to my parents like that. For Tennessee to talk to my parents is really cool. I like that it better than they show interest not just in my but my whole family.”