Beasley breaks down his commitment to the Vols
Florida State has given him a lot to think about. Nebraska is still coming hard. Georgia had him on campus just a few days.
But Aaron Beasley has decided he wants to be a Tennessee Volunteer.
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"I really see coach Jeremy Pruitt changing the program around and that is a big part of why I committed to Tennessee," said Beasley. "He came from Nick Saban's staff, so he knows what has to be done.
"We saw Kirby Smart has done at Georgia and I think coach Pruitt can do that at Tennessee."
Pruitt was one coach that recruited Beasley, but the versatile athlete out of Franklin (Ga.) Heard County has connected with the staff as a whole.
"I really like the coaches there at Tennessee. Coach Pruitt has a great staff and I have gotten to know a lot of them. The coaching staff is strong and they all know me, so that has been great.
"I have gotten close with coach [Charles] Kelly, the safeties coach and he has a great track record. He has worked with guys like Derwin James and Jalen Ramsey, so I know he is a great player development guy and he is someone I know could make me better."
Kelly's former school, Florida State, was Beasley's No. 2 school, but how Tennessee has recruited him and the familiarity with Knoxville made the difference.
"This weekend was my fourth time visiting Tennessee since coach Pruitt took over, so I am very comfortable there," said Beasley. "Since I started visiting up there, I have loved it.
"They have made me feel very welcome each time I was there and I have been high on them from the beginning. I remember when coach Pruitt called and offered me once he got the job and that meant a lot.
"Then I visited up there, I got to learn about the program and meet the coaches and that is really when Tennessee started to be a school I really liked."
This decision has been weighing on Beasley for a couple of weeks now. He almost pulled the trigger the last time he was there.
"I was up at Tennessee ago not long ago and I stayed the night, and that is when I really felt like this was it. I got a great vibe from the players, I just felt so comfortable and I felt like home.
"When I got back from that visit, I really started thinking hard about committing."
Schools are not going to stop recruiting Beasley and he is likely to take other visits, but at this time, he feels very good about calling himself a Vol.
"I am going to an SEC school, I am playing for a coach who knows how to win and I will have a chance to play early," said Beasley. "It is exciting. Tennessee is a school that recruited me hard and they have made me feel right at home."
