Picou back home for weekend visit

For a few official visitors this past weekend, their trips were more investigative in nature as they tried to find out if Tennessee would be where they would call home for the next several years.

That wasn't the case for Buford, Ga., defensive lineman Quay Picou. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle has long known Rocky Top would be where he called home for the next several years after he graduates from Buford High School this spring.

"A lot of people talk about the family environment, but it's really a feeling of home," Picou said. "Knoxville is my home. I don't like leave home a lot but when I head up there it's like I'm heading home."

And that's why his official visit this past weekend was more about getting to know those he will be with in the future instead of trying to find out if Tennessee was the right fit.

"Everything was great. Obviously, chilling with the guys and being able to relax with your future teammates was great," Picou said. "And honestly, we got to know the coaches a little bit more. I spent time with about all of them. Coach (Steve Stripling) and I went and talked about the defensive line and went in a meeting. We went over some film and talked about the key things to pay attention to and what defensive linemen want to accomplish.

"I hung out with coach (Tommy) Thigpen and got some laughs in and (Sunday) we went to coach (Butch) Jones' house for breakfast and that was really cool, being able to hang out with him."

Picou has long been a vocal recruiter for the Vols, encouraging others Tennessee was recruiting to take a closer look at Rocky Top. It was no surprise, then, after his official visit to hear him once again give a recruiting pitch to future recruits.

"I highly recommend it to any person. I would tell them all. I would tell all the future recruits," Picou said, "'Take all of your visits that you need to take and then head over to Rocky Top and I guarantee that will square you up real quick.'"

Picou spent part of the weekend in Stripling's office as they went over what his future on the field would look like.

"Coach Strip sees me as a three technique," Picou explained. "We did some film work and some chalk talk and talked about taking on double teams and ball skills and mirroring the ball and all the good stuff like that."

Part of a very impressive defensive line class, Picou said the unit continued its bonding this weekend when Picou along with Kahlil McKenzie, Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle and other defensive linemen hung out together.

"It's really cool. There's not really that one guy that sticks out with a big head," Picou said. "We're all pretty even-keeled. We all hung out and went out and had a blast. Me, Kyle, Shy, Kahlil, all of us, all the d-line brothers. It was a blast."