Tennessee lands talented in-state OL Jesse Perry

After a wave of spring visits, three-star offensive tackle Jesse Perry has settled on his future home, announcing his commitment to Tennessee on Friday.

His verbal pledge comes on the heels of a return visit to Knoxville in late March and the Vols beat out the likes of Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Mississippi State, Louisville, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and others.

Perry details his decision to stay in-state and play for the Volunteers.

- On the biggest reasons he chose Tennessee:

"I really like the coaching staff there. I love Knoxville. They have really nice facilities there. They have my major. At all the other schools, I just feel like the other schools don't have anything else that matches up to Tennessee."

- On what stood out during his recent trip to Knoxville:

"The main thing with that visit was to see Coach (Glenn) Elarbee and how he coaches and make sure it's the coaching style I feel like I can play under, which it is. Then just being around the staff and the players. That's what that visit was about."

- On observing Coach Elarbee during spring practice:

"I really liked how big of technician he is. He is very detail-oriented and he's going to maximize the best out of all his players, not just on the field but off. He's a real chill dude in-person, but can be real energetic on the football field. But, overall a very calm guy. He's a very funny guy. He likes to joke around."

- On other details of his time on campus:

"I got to set in on position meetings and listen to Coach Elarbee. Darnell Wright and Cade Mays was there. It was cool getting to hear their experience. They were there helping other players. Just watching the whole team and atmosphere there. It was highly competitive and I really enjoyed it."

- On his relationship with head coach Josh Heupel:

"Really cool dude. I enjoy him. You can really tell he loves football. His whole life is football. He's got that energy just talking to him in-person and he's got in practice."

- On how his commitment went down:

"I called up Coach Elarbee this afternoon (Thursday) and told him about my decision. He was super-fired up about it. You could definitely hear the excitement in his voice."

MORE: With Perry in the fold, Tennessee now has four in-state commitments in their 2024 class. He joins defensive end Carson Gentle and defensive backs Kaleb Beasley and Marcus Goree, Jr.