Deuce Knight got another look at Tennessee on Thursday, and the signal caller wasn’t disappointed.
The class of 2025 quarterback from George County (Miss.) High School got to watch Tennessee’s spring practice and see what life would be like playing quarterback for the Vols.
“It’s real fun to watch Joe (Milton),” Knight told Off The Hook. “He can probably throw it about 100 yards. He would throw a bomb and then everybody would get turnt. And then Nico, he’s just a smooth quarterback, it was just fun to watch. I liked the practice.”
Knight also got to catch up with Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and head coach Josh Heupel. The duo impressed Knight during his time in Knoxville. The Vols extended him a scholarship offer in July.
“It was good conversations with both of them,” Knight said. “Coach Heupel, he’s a really cool, mature dude. We just really had a sitdown about what I thought about things, what he thinks about the future of this program.
“Me and coach Halzle, it was really about the development part of things. We watched film with Hendon Hooker and Drew Lock. He showed me practice film of Hendon, and you would’ve never thought he would’ve did what he did this year. So, you can actually see firsthand how they develop.”
Halzle used both Lock and Hooker as examples for Knight. Both are quarterbacks who were not the best when they came in to Halzle, but they quickly turned into good SEC quarterbacks, and in Hooker’s case, a draft prospect.
“Coach Halzle showed us plays where Hendon tried to throw a simple go-ball and he threw it like 20 yards out and away from the dude,” Knight said. “It was really cool, because I watched Tennessee a lot this year and saw Hendon turn up.”
Halzle told Knight that they don’t recruit quarterbacks who don’t do “cool things.” So what are “cool things?”
Halzle said they recruit quarterbacks who are able to run and make something happen when the play breaks down. Halzle showed an example of Joe Milton making a big play with his legs when the original call broke down. Halzle can see Knight playing a similar role for the Vols.
“He thinks if I want to be developed and get to the next level, then this is the place to be,” Knight said of what Halzle told him. “Like coach Heupel told me, the skill set I have is a skill set that translates to the league. He feels like if I want to go to the league then Tennessee is the best place for me to be developed.”
Halzle didn’t just tell this to Knight, but also to his family. Following his visit, he agrees that the best place for his development would be Tennessee. The staff’s treatment of his family left a good impression on the 6-foot-4, 185-pound quarterback.
“It was big to have them on the visit because I know if they treat my family good, they’ll treat me good,” Knight said. “I just wanted my mom and my sister to come see things. This is my third time up there, and my mom had been before, but I wanted my sister to come.”
Knight said Tennessee is “at the top” of his recruitment after his visit over the weekend.
“Just the offense, the love they show, and just the all-around love,” Knight said. “I like Tennessee a lot.”
Knight plans to visit Notre Dame on April 1 and Texas A&M on April 6. He plans to make his way back to Knoxville over the summer and for a game in the fall.
