Tennessee offer a 'dream come true' for Mount Juliet's Ayden Bussell

Mount Juliet offensive tackle Ayden Bussell was trying to catch some zzz’s following a morning workout when suddenly his mood changed for the rest of the day.

“My coach asked me to Facetime him and coach [Willie] Martinez was going to be on the call,” Bussell remembered. “I was immediately out of bed and ecstatic. When your head coach tells you that, you know what it means.

“We talked for about 25 minutes and coach Martinez said he liked my film and liked that my coach spoke very highly of me. He added that he could tell I was a good kid and a hard worker, so he said he wanted to offer me a full scholarship.”

A lifelong Vols fan, the Middle Tennessee native was juiced.

“I was out of this world. After I got off the call, me and my dad were going crazy,” the 2023 prospect said. “When I was little going to Tennessee games, I remember telling my dad I was going to play there one day.

“Tennessee holds a special place in my heart.”

Bussell, who recently moved cross-county from Wilson Central to Mount Juliet, plays left tackle with great intensity and gets off the ball very well. He’s limber and has some speed for his size, which is noticeable watching film when getting to the second and third levels of the defense.

As a true freshman in 2019, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound mauler found the playing field in several contests before gaining a full-time starting role as a sophomore in 2020. The tackle has four offers to date as the Vols now join the likes of Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Eastern Kentucky.

“Whenever I first jumped on the call, I was wearing a Tennessee hat and coach Martinez loved it,” Bussell said of the Vols assistant. “He’s a funny guy but is also serious and super experienced. I like the energy I felt from him – you can feel it just in conversation.

“He’s enthusiastic and I liked everything I heard from him. He spoke the truth and told me I always have to bring energy in everything I do. That’s one thing I noticed and liked.”

The dual-sport athlete has his hands this spring, throwing shot put and discus for the high school track and field team. The 2023 prospect knows its early in the process but notes he’s enjoyed the ride of late.

“My recruitment really started picking up around December – right when I was making the move to Mount Juliet,” Bussell said. “I’ve loved every minute of it and it’s been a blast so far. Really enjoy building relationships with these coaches.”

Nearby Vanderbilt is showing the most interest to date.

Bussell plans to be active this summer when camp season begins as treks to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Auburn are already planned. The prospect hopes to get up to Notre Dame as well and to take advantage of the period.

More offers are to come for Bussell, but as long as Tennessee stays in the mix – the Vols should have a solid chance down the road.

“That offense is going to be fun to watch with a heavy force on the offensive line,” the prospect concluded. “Tennessee is close to home, it’s in-state and the offer was a dream come true to be honest.”