As Tennessee evaluates prospective student-athletes for the class of 2023 and beyond, Josh Heupel and staff are looking for players - not necessarily positions.
One player who they love is Tony Rojas and he excels on both sides of the football.
The four-star linebacker and talented running back was on campus for two days earlier this week and was able to take in Tuesday morning’s spring practice, along with a couple of teammates and high school coaches.
“I really enjoyed the facility, the people and the coaches,” the Fairfax, Va. native told Volquest. “I enjoyed watching practice with the intensity and how fast they move.”
The All-State athlete reeled in the awards following an impressive junior campaign. He’s been named an Adidas All-American and won various offensive and defensive player of the year awards. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder can run a 4.4 forty-yard dash and squats over 400 pounds.
Programs all around the country are evaluating him at both linebacker and running back, but the Volunteers don’t care which one.
“Tennessee is one of the biggest schools that is offering both - Tennessee, Ole Miss, Syracuse and a couple of others,” the 2023 prospect said. “But it’s mostly just defense.”
Defense would likely be the course of action on The Hill, so developing the relationships with those coaches on that side of the ball was critical during his two-day stop in Knoxville.
“He’s really smart. He has experience coaching the linebackers even though he’s the defensive coordinator,” Rojas said of Tim Banks. “He has good experience with the linebackers and defensive backs. He really knows what he’s doing.”
The priority target, who visited Tennessee for the first time this week, was able to sit in on meetings and talk shop with linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary as well.
“I talked to him a lot and he was showing me some plays,” the athlete said. “He was cool. He was showing me what position I would be and how they play the gaps and all that.”
Rojas has been busy on the road this winter, already making stops at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Clemson and now Tennessee. He plans to check out Clemson once more while also stopping by South Carolina in the near future.
After that, some moves could be made and the Vols look to be in good position.
“I’m think I’m cutting my list down after spring break. After Clemson and South Carolina, I’m going to cut it down to three schools,” the athlete told Volquest. “Tennessee is going to make it because I loved it there. It’s one of the best I’ve been to.
“I know Tennessee will be one of them because I loved it. I’m not sure about the others right now.”
Just before leaving campus Tuesday afternoon, perhaps the icing on the cake of the excellent visit was catching up with the head man.
“We talked to coach Heupel at the end. He’s really cool,” Rojas said. “He’s more about the people and not about the place. He’s a really good coach.”
With Tennessee making the most of its opportunities this week, the Big Orange will now focus on bringing the four-star back for an official visit. Rojas is tabbed as the 210th-overall prospect, 12th linebacker and second-best prospect out of Virginia, per Rivals.
“Had an AMAZING visit at Tennessee the past 2 days,” Rojas tweeted Tuesday while leaving campus. “[T]hanks to coach Ekeler, Banks and the rest of the staff for hosting [an] amazing practice and making it feel like home. [C]an’t wait to be back in Knoxville!”
