Tennessee still in solid standing with the nation's No.1 prospect

CHARLOTTE — Fresh off the plane from his visit to Florida State, 5-star Harding (N.C.) athlete Quavaris Crouch was one of the stars of the show Sunday at The Charlotte Opening Regional at Rocky River High.

And the nation’s No. 1 prospect didn’t even participate.

Crouch, who continues to recover from hip labrum surgery in February, held court for a slew of reporters throughout the afternoon, as the 6-foot-3, 235-pound athlete has (potentially) wrapped up his spring visits after tripping to campuses with regularity over the last couple months.

"I'm tired," he said, laughing. "I used to look forward to the weekends, but I'm gone every week. I need a lil' break."

Crouch plans to start cutting down his extensive offer list from more than 25 schools soon. He visited FSU over the weekend with new 'Noles quarterback commit Sam Howell. He's been to Tennessee and Clemson twice this spring with trips to UNC and NC State also sprinkled in.

The Harding High standout spent a pair of nights in Knoxville in late March and a source close to Crouch told VolQuest on Sunday that the Vols are firmly in the athlete’s “Top 3-5 schools” and will definitely make the cut whenever Crouch culls his list.

Last month, VolQuest spent time with Crouch, who talked extensively about his faith, football and future.

So what is Tennessee’s pitch to the dynamic playmaker who had more than 3,000 yards rushing and 14 sacks for a state title team?

“They need players. They just need players. That’s what they’re saying all the time,” Crouch said.

“They don’t care what position I play. They just want a football player.”

The 5-star prospect has developed a strong relationship with both head coach Jeremy Pruitt and defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer, but it was his interactions with offensive coordinator Tyson Helton that stood out during his most recent visit.

While the athlete isn’t sure whether he wants to play linebacker or tailback or both in college, his conversations with Helton didn’t center on football or his positional future at all.

“I really vibbed with the offensive coordinator,” Crouch said.

“It was mostly unrelated to football. I really don’t even remember how we started talking about (faith) but it just happened. It was good. … It was easy to talk to him."

Crouch maintains no leaders at this time, with Tennessee, Clemson, FSU, UGA, South Carolina and Michigan all standing out for various reasons.

He’s doing his best to sift through all the recruiting pitches, saying “it’s a little bit annoying, but you just have to know how to sort through the fake from the real. I asking God to help lead me and do what’s best for me.”