Patrick Kutas talks Vols, recruitment with VQ
Memphis area offensive lineman Patrick Kutas has been of interest lately. In fact, the 6-foot-5, 285-pounder has picked up eight offers already since the calendar flipped to 2021.
Tennessee jumped onboard a few weeks ago – but it was during the week when the program was without a head football coach.
“I was offered by coach Jay Graham [former assistant], so technically it was the prior regime,” Kutas told Volquest. “Tennessee didn’t have a head coach at the time, but coach [Josh] Heupel reached out to me his second day on the job and plans on recruiting me.”
The Christian Brothers standout is actually being evaluated as both an offensive and defensive lineman, but the Vols project the in-state talent on offense – believing his intangibles would translate easily into Heuel’s offense.
“I’m a physical guy. I love to initiate the contact and drive guys off the ball,” Kutas said of himself. “I have a great motor and keep going until the whistle is blown. I’m also athletic and can move my weight really well.”
Heupel’s message to the Volunteer State native?
“He’s really wanting to keep us local guys in-state,” the 2022 prospect said. “He said he likes my play style and how athletic I am. He likes the fact that I can play on both sides of the ball, too.
“He sounded like a really cool guy. We didn’t talk much football. The conversation was more of getting to know one another. He seemed chill and laid back. Real nice guy.”
Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee has also been in contact with the three-star.
“I’m still learning more and more about the staff, but I have talked with coach Elarbee a few times,” Kutas said. “We have a pretty good relationship so far. We text frequently – just about every day. Coach Heupel texts me a lot, too. They are both doing a great job of keeping in touch with me.”
The Memphis, Tenn. native has 17 offers at current standing with teams like Virginia Tech, Oregon, Illinois, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Florida State offering recently. Kutas has no plans of releasing any type of a ‘top-list’ anytime soon, nor has a commitment date right now.
The offensive lineman did note that around seven teams are in play.
“It’s a pretty wide grouping right now and Tennessee is in the mix,” Kutas said. “The Vol fanbase is insane. I gained about 200 followers [Twitter] because of them.
“The next move for me is to take visits when we can. I really needed to see the places I’m interested in up close. I need to get a feel for them.”
The all-state player has taken notice to the offense Heupel ran at UCF and knows it could be a lot of fun to play in. More importantly, however, he understands the importance of a balanced attack.
“I like how he stays balanced,” Kutas said. “I know he likes to score a lot of points and that’s great but staying balanced will keep the defense on its toes.”
In each of Heupel’s three years in Orlando, the former Knights coach had at least two players notch 500 yard rushing on the season with an average of at least five yards per carry. UCF averaged over 200 yards rushing a game under Heupel’s rule.
Tennessee is also hard after Kutas’s teammate, Vol legacy Dallan Hayden. The thought of playing together at the next level has come up between the two friends in conversation.
UT will certainly be trying to make that happen over the next calendar year.
“I think it’s super cool how we are both going through this process together,” Kutas said of he and Hayden. “I have someone I can relate to and go to for questions about the process. Most guys don’t get to experience something like that with one of their close friends. I think it’s pretty neat.”
