THE LATEST: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are schools out of the SEC that have offered Malik Washington. The junior athlete out of Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview has a total of 16 offers at this time and Tennessee has impressed him early and moved to the top of his list.

Washington spent time in Knoxville (Tenn.) this summer and that is what pushed the Vols passed everyone else. He was there on a day Tennessee had a camp going on, but even though the coaches were busy with that, he received a lot of attention.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "Tennessee is the favorite for me right now," said Washington. "I went there for one of their camps this summer and they gave me the tour, the coaches spent time with me and I really liked the atmosphere."

COACHES IMPRESSED: "I got to meet with coach Butch Jones in his office for a while and we talked a lot. We really clicked and I like him a lot. Coach Jones probably talk to me more than anyone else and that was great. He is a cool coach, he had a lot of good things to say and him spending that much time with me as a head coach stood out.

"I also liked coach [Charlton] Warren, the defensive backs coach. We talked some, we got to know each other and he is another cool coach up there. The coaches overall were cool, they spent time with me and they did stand out."

A LOT OF SMILES IN KNOXVILLE: "I really liked everything there — the facilities, the coaches, the offices and all that, but what stood out a lot was the players having fun. They carried themselves very well, they all seemed to be happy there and it looked like a great environment. To see the players having fun and being proud of wearing the Tennessee gear made me want to be just like them."

RIVALS REACTION: Washington plans to get to a game or two at Tennessee this fall. He wants to see them play, see the crowd and just learn more about the program. The impression the Vols made over the summer was a strong one. He has over a dozen offers and he will likely go over 20 by the time the 2017 season ends, so it is early, but Tennessee has put itself in a good spot.