4-star Derek Meadows locking in official visit with Vols
Las Vegas product Derek Meadows was excited to visit Tennessee this weekend for the Orange and White game. The visit with the Vols met his expectations and he was thrilled with Rocky Top.
“I loved everything about it,” Meadows said. “The atmosphere and the people, everything about it. The game was spectacular and Nico did his thing and the receivers did a great job. Everyone did a great job.”
He stood in a partially full (due to construction) Neyland Stadium and was blown away by the size.
“It was insane,” Meadows said. “How big the the stadium was, it fits over 100 thousand people. I wasn’t expecting that. It was awesome and then I got to see my old coach Marcus Nash, seeing the awards he won and the first round draft pick was awesome.”
Meadows and Kelsey Pope have been a strong bond, and it was a good weekend for the four-star being around him.
“The relationship with Coach Pope has been incredible,” he said. “He is really kind, really genuine, and he really wants me here. That is what I am looking for in a coach.”
Meadows was also highly impressed with Tennessee’s offensive passing attack.
“It is very inviting to me,” Meadows said of Tennessee’s consistency at the quarterback position. “They like to throw deep, and that is what I like to do. I like to run deep routes and go get the ball. They do a little bit of everything, and that is what makes them so unique. I would be more of an outside receiver, but they would move me around.”
The Bishop Gorman star has been familiar with Tennessee because of former Las Vegas area standout and VFL Cedric Tillman.
“His dad was my freshman coach, so I would always talk to him about it,” he said of Tillman. “He was at Tennessee when I was in ninth grade, so I would see him, and then just talking to his dad about how he was doing. It is really great to see where he is.”
Coming out of the weekend, the Vols made a strong impression on the highly coveted pass catcher.
“They are definitely high on my list,” Meadows said. “There is no ranking, but they are definitely high on my list.”
