Three-star defensive back Avery Powell as a plethora of offers as a prep junior – 32 to be exact – but some offers mean more than others.

“I was just starting to pick up a lot of offers, but the one from Tennessee was and still is one of the more exciting ones for me,” the St. Peter’s Prep standout told Volquest. “Tennessee is always producing defensive back that go on to the next level.”

The day was July 31 when Vols’ tight ends coach Joe Osovet, who recruits the Jersey City, N.J. area, offered the cornerback.

“We talked one morning and he said they wanted to offer me,” Powell remembered. “I really appreciated it. I’ve continued to build that relationship with him, coach [Jeremy] Pruitt and coach [Derrick] Ansley ever since. They call often and I’m always in touch with them.

“I really look forward to this relationship growing and to show them how much I’m getting better as a player and a person.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back describes himself as a guy with no fear on the football field. He can run and keep up with receivers in the back end but isn’t afraid to come up and hit around the line of scrimmage.

“I don’t care who is on the field – I’m just running to the football,” Powell said. “I play with no conscious and that’s always been my upper hand. I just try and keep on making plays.”

Along with the Volunteers, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have offered from the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs, Razorbacks and Michigan of the Big Ten are teams showing the most interest with the Volunteers very much in play.

“They reach out to me a lot and I have a lot of connections with them,” Powell said of the trio of programs. “Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Penn State reach out a lot as well and Tennessee connects more than most schools. That’s cool for them to check up on me and see how I’m doing.

“I’d say that more than half of my offer list are in play, but I haven’t really visited any schools yet. I still need to go to a lot of places and see what I like – a lot more than it should be, really [with the visiting dead period]. I’m going to try and limit the list throughout the season.”

Tennessee has a strong connection with the 2022 prospect as Powell’s defensive backs coach at St. Peter’s Prep, Naz Oliver, played for the Volunteers in 2012.

“Coach has always been in love with SEC talent and competition and has been pushing me towards there,” Powell said of his position coach. “But at the end of the day, I’ll need to see what the best fit is for me. My head coach [Rich Hansen] will also play a huge factor in where I go.”

The cornerback remembers watching the Vols play on television as a kid and caught UT’s season-opener against South Carolina a few weeks ago. He considers himself a student of the game.

“I like to watch the secondary and see how they tie in with the defensive line,” Powell said. “Coach Pruitt came from Alabama, so he has obviously been around a lot of great football players and still is now. He knows what to do with talent.”