Rather than taking his previously scheduled official visit to Clemson over the weekend, MarQuez North decided to return to Tennessee on Saturday for an unofficial visit.
The trip allowed the Top247 senior wide receiver from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, N.C., to spend more time with new Vols coach Butch Jones' staff and get a better feel for how things have changed at Tennessee since the firing of former coach Derek Dooley.
North's father, Ramondo North, said Monday night that he and his son enjoyed the visit even more than their official visit to Tennessee the weekend of Oct. 20 for the Vols' home game against Alabama.
"This weekend was better than the official visit that we actually took up there because it wasn't scheduled, so, basically, we just popped in on them and we were still there to meet the coaches or whatever," Ramondo North said.
The Norths were able to meet with some of the official visitors the Vols hosted over the weekend, including fellow Charlotte-area standout Riley Ferguson, a quarterback from Butler High School in nearby Matthews, N.C., who has been committed to Tennessee since June.
Ramondo North said he pulled aside a few of the Vols' current players, too, to see what they thought of Jones' staff.
"The players just had a lot of positive things to say," he said. "They were basically like, they're happy now. They actually feel like a family here now. ... The defensive players had a lot of positive things to say. The offensive players, what they did say is they see more family now. They have a good time. It's fun now. They said, a lot of them, it wasn't fun when that old coach was there."
Another important visitor for the Vols was four-star Vanderbilt commitment Johnathan Ford. The Top247 running back from New Hope (Ala.) High School said his latest visit to Tennessee turned out to be a "good trip" that allowed him to get to know new Vols coach Butch Jones' staff, and Ford now has a final decision to make in the coming weeks.
"Everything went good. My parents had a good time. That was a real good part," said Ford, the nation's No. 239 overall player and No. 17 running back in the 2013 class according to 247Sports. "Just the coaches and stuff, they really stood out to them. It was great hospitality."
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