Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

How did Tennessee land 2023 safety Jack Luttrell?

Jeremy Johnsonby: Jeremy Johnson08/01/21JeremyO_Johnson
Jack Luttrell

Jack Luttrell loves Tennessee’s family atmosphere. That won him over. He experienced the epitome of that feeling he was looking for on Saturday.

The Hebron (Georgia) Christian star and his family took an unofficial visit to Knoxville on Saturday. He decided it was time to tell Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel he was committed to the Volunteers.

Luttrell was immediately offered a hive five from Heupel’s daughter, Hannah Heupel.

“It’s that type of environment that I like,” he said.

Since his first trip to Knoxville on June 27, Luttrell has been itching to commit to the Volunteers. He and his father, who is also his head coach, went to see the campus during the Volunteers’ camp that weekend.

His mother didn’t make the initial trip. Luttrell admits he got a little antsy, while waiting for his mother’s approval.

“I’ve been feeling it ever since I visited that first time. I’ve been telling my parents every night,” Luttrell said. “Tennessee is where I want to play.”

His parents preached patience. It paid off as the Tennessee coaching staff won over Luttrell’s mother by the end of the visit on Saturday.

Luttrell hears positive Tennessee narrative

Tennessee as a program has been in the news since the 2020 season ended for a litany of reasons. The NCAA’s investigation of amateurism led to the firing of Jeremy Pruitt in December.

Heupel was hired shortly after. The team finished 2020 with its lowest winning percentage since 1906. The Volunteers ended the season 3-7.

Luttrell feels the news clippings tell one story but being around the program has shown him a different narrative.

“If you’re an outsider, you hear about Tennessee football and you think about the losing record, the changing in coaches, the bans by the NCAA and all that stuff,” Luttrell said. “When you get up there, talk to the coaches, see the facilities and hear what they have to say, it’s a totally different story. I think after my mom was able to see that, it was really good.”

Luttrell believes in Heupel’s vision. The first-year head coach sold the 2023 safety on the direction of the program as well as the program’s history.

“I think coach Heupel and the staff that he’s brought in is going to do a great job,” Luttrell said. “That’s the main reason that I was so ready to commit. I trust what they’ve done at Tennessee in the past, whether that be 20 years ago or 10 years ago. They’re going to bring it back and start doing it again.”

Luttrell has always had a soft spot for the state. His mom and father went to college in Tennessee. Luttrell’s older brother was born in Tennessee.

“I’ve always had that little place in my heart for Tennessee,” Luttrell said. “I never knew that it would grow this big or mean this much to me until now. I definitely always have known about Tennessee. It really just felt like home. It felt comfortable, and I felt welcome when I stepped on campus.”

https://www.on3.com/news/who-stood-out-at-the-southern-exposure-camp-in-atlanta/