'24 AL WR Mario Craver

#5
#5
Visiting this weekend.

Hey all, was down in Montgomery over the weekend for the All Gas Showcase. Caught up with Mario Craver, who told me he'll be at Tennessee this weekend. It's a trip he's definitely looking forward to because he has a connection on the current roster.

"It's a nice program. I like what they are doing with that offense and they are bringing in that five-star quarterback Nico (Iamaleava). My former teammate, Squirrel White, he's up at Tennessee and he's been keeping me in contact with Coach (Kelsey) Pope and we have been talking a lot recently and I'm really excited to see what's going on Saturday."

Sean Williams, Rivals
 
#10
#10
Mario Craver had a high opinion of Tennessee before he traveled to Knoxville on Saturday to take his first look at the Vols. But he came away liking them even more and viewing them as one of the top teams he’s considering.

“They were already in my, like, power three. But now they’re definitely competing for the (No.) 1 spot, definitely,” said Craver, who’s ranked the No. 148 overall prospect and No. 24 wide receiver in the 2024 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

“Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee, those are my big three right now. But, right now, Oklahoma and Tennessee, they’re at the top right now.”

“Every coach on the staff, they all have some type of relationship with each other, and they’re all a family,” Craver added. “And when the coaches have that, it’s very easy for the players to connect, too, and everybody get on one page and know what the main goal is.”

“I talked to Coach Heupel a little bit,” Craver said. “He pulled me into his office. We talked a little bit, and I also talked to (senior offensive analyst Max) Thurmond. I talked to the offensive coordinator (Alex Golesh).

“Me and Coach Pope, when I first got here, he pulled me in and he was, like, showing me how I would work in their offense and comparing my film to what they do on the field and how I could be really explosive in this offense. And he was showing me a lot.

“It really showed me that this offense may be the fit for me, so that was a really good point for him.”

“They’re changing their program,” Craver said. “I don’t want to join a powerhouse. I want to be the start of something. I want to start a foundation, and that’s what they’re doing here.

“And me, if I do come here in the ‘24 class, I could really bring some guys with me. We could be really special, and we can be the next ‘Bama. We can definitely turn this program around and make this program back to what it was when Peyton Manning was here.”
callahan
 
#14
#14
“It’s going great with Tennessee. I love the relationship we have so far and it’s the strongest I have with any school right now,” Craver told Volquest this week. “I talk with coach [Kelsey] Pope and my former teammate Squirrel White all the time.

“Me and Squirrel have a good connection and he is keeping me posted on what’s going on up there. They have something good there.”

The fellow slot receiver, White, will certainly play a role in his former teammate’s recruitment – as far as the Vols are concerned. He’s got the inside scoop, obviously, and can give a firsthand account of what Tennessee truly has to offer for student-athletes.

“He could really give me the head start that I need if I were to go to Tennessee,” the 2024 recruit said. “He can tell me what is real and what is fake – what he likes and doesn’t like about the campus and the program. If I go there, he could really guide me my freshman year.”

“He keeps it real with me and is not going to sugar coat anything. He’s not going to tell me only what I want to hear – he’s going to tell me how business goes up there,” Craver said of Pope. “He tells me that nothing is ever promised, but if I come up there and work hard, I could play early as a true freshman.

“I actually talked to the whole coaching staff earlier this week. They really like my game.”

There’s a lot to like about his game. As a sophomore in 2021, craver logged over 900 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He was named First Team All-State for his efforts and has seen his stock on the recruiting trail climb since.

The Tennessee target, who was on campus for July 30th’s cookout right before the dead period, boasts over 20 offers and is considered the 233rd-ranked prospect in the class with a Rivals Rating of 5.8. Craver is tabbed as the 10th-best prospect in Alabama and at No. 34 at the wide receiver position.

There’s several top programs high up the list for the four-star, like Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M – but Tennessee is in as good of a spot as any. With he relationship with Pope continuing to blossom, plus an existing relationship with Squirrel White, the Vols will be in this one right down to the finish line.

“I love that offense,” the prospect said of Tennessee. “I love the fast-paced scheme and how they create a lot of 1-on-1 matchups for their playmakers. I feel like I could definitely do some damage in that offense.”

Craver plans on being back on Rocky Top for the Florida game on September 24.

- VQ
 
#19
#19
A highly ranked wide receiver who visited Tennessee for the first time in late July is planning to make an early commitment before the end of his junior season. Four-star Class of 2024 wide receiver Mario Craver of Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Ala., told GoVols247 on Sunday night that he intends to announce his college decision on Oct. 23, and he expects to release a list of favorites soon.

The Vols are believed to be one of the top teams in the running for the 5-foot-9, 152-pound Craver, who made his first trip to Tennessee on July 30 for its summer-ending recruiting event. He said a list of his top eight choices is "coming ASAP," but he already has a couple of visits scheduled for this month.

Craver, a Top247 prospect, said he plans to visit Auburn on Sept. 17 for the Tigers' home game against Penn State. He said he's also scheduled to return to Knoxville on Sept. 24 for the Vols' home game against SEC East rival Florida.

A friend and former teammate of Tennessee freshman wide receiver Squirrel White, Craver is ranked the No. 156 overall prospect and No. 24 wide receiver in the 2024 class and the No. 7 junior from the state of Alabama, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
Oklahoma has received the lone prediction for Craver on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, which was made in April.

After his visit to Tennessee more than a month ago, he told GoVols247 that the Vols were one of the teams standing out most to him, along with Oklahoma and Alabama. He said at the time that Tennessee was already battling for the top spot on his short list of favorites, and he made it clear that he planned to return for one of the Vols' home games this season.

“They were already in my, like, power three. But now they’re definitely competing for the (No.) 1 spot, definitely,” Craver said after his trip to Knoxville on July 30. “Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee, those are my big three right now. But, right now, Oklahoma and Tennessee, they’re at the top right now.”

He received a scholarship offer from Tennessee in January, and he said in July that it was “just a place I wanted to check out, because I know they’re building something special.”

“I just wanted to check it out, see what it was about,” he said at the time, “and I wasn’t disappointed.”

What stood out most to him, he said, was “how these coaches, they’re all locked in on one goal. They all know what they want to accomplish.”
“Every coach on the staff, they all have some type of relationship with each other, and they’re all a family,” Craver added in July. “And when the coaches have that, it’s very easy for the players to connect, too, and everybody get on one page and know what the main goal is.”

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel's staff, led by first-year wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope, has continued to show Carver plenty of attention since his recent visit with the Vols. He said Heupel and Pope reached out to him "at 12:01" on Thursday morning, the first day college coaches were allowed to send messages to Class of 2024 prospects.

Craver said in July that he grew up liking Alabama, and that might make his offer from the Crimson Tide “kind of” tough to pass up in the end.

“But I really don’t want to stay in-state,” he added. “It’s really not going to be a big deal if I pass up on them.”
-Callahan
 

VN Store



Back
Top