The father of a Byrnes High School football player committed to the University of Tennessee said he spoke to several young women at a Byrnes game whom his son met at a UT camp last summer.
Gary Willis, whose son Brandon Willis was a defensive lineman at Byrnes, said the women had promised to attend a Byrnes game.
A story in today's New York Times said the NCAA is "conducting a wide-ranging investigation" into UT football recruiting including the use of "hostesses."
Tennessee said in a statement today that it was cooperating with an NCAA review and was "concerned about the alleged activities of some members" of its ambassador program.
According to the Times, the women at the Byrnes game held up a sign during the game in September that said, "Come to Tennessee," and one of Willis' teammates said they were influential in his decision to commit to the Vols. Brandon Willis and teammate Corey Miller committed to Tennessee in September.
Byrnes head coach Chris Miller said that upon learning the women were at the game called the players and told them "to get away from them," then called UT assistant coach David Reaves.
Gary Willis said his son will graduate from Byrnes this month and will enroll in a college in January. Commitments are not binding until the players sign a National Letter of Intent in February.
"These girls had nothing to do with the impact when my son decided he would go to school at Tennessee," Willis said in a telephone interview. "They told the guys at summer camp that they were going to come to one of the games."
He said Tennessee "had nothing to do with that. They didn't even know that these kids were coming to the game."
Willis said he spoke to an NCAA representative that visited Byrnes and interviewed his son.
"I let him know first and foremost that I did not appreciate him that I didn't appreciate him getting my son out of class without his dad being there," Gary Willis said. "We have nothing to hide. Brandon is not signed to go to Tennessee. He is verbally committed to go to Tennessee. He could still go anywhere he wanted to go."
Coach Miller said he was aware an NCAA representative visited the school and interviewed three players, but he did not know the purpose of the interviews.
He said his son has received more than 40 major college scholarship offers including schools in California, two of which he visited recently. "There were girls at every school we went," he said.
"These are kids you're messing with. These are kids that don't deserve that," Willis said. "My son has a 4.28 GPA. He ain't the type of kid that looks for handouts."
Willis said he told the NCAA, "I have nothing to hide with you."
Willis said his son didn't mention it until days later. Corey Miller's mother said today she wasn't aware her son had been interviewed by the NCAA.
Running back Marcus Lattimore told the Times that the women were "real pretty, real nice and just real cool."
Lattimore, one of the nation's top prospects this year, said he visited Tennessee "unofficially."
"I haven't seen no other schools do that," he told the Times. "It's crazy."
Willis was incensed.
"You're talking about my son and something that he has worked hard for," he said. "It's not going to be based upon no girls, I promise you that."
doesnt look like mr willis is to happy
