'22 OH TE Brody Foley (Indiana commit)

I’m fine with our class. If we took 25 kids that were all .87, I would be ecstatic. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I wouldn’t be ecstatic but it might be what we need.

This going to be a set up class. Set up the foundation. A three or low ranked four star that stays and gets developed and sticks with a program for four years is probably a lot more beneficial to a program than a five star who bolts after one year because he didn’t get enough snaps, or three years for the draft.

So I view this as a foundation class. Overhaul the roster with solid kids who get developed. In two years when the sanctions drama has passed, these kids will be seeing significant snaps. Then we can hopefully sprinkle in some elite show pony’s and hopefully start earning some respect back from the rest of the college football world.
 
I wouldn’t be ecstatic but it might be what we need.

This going to be a set up class. Set up the foundation. A three or low ranked four star that stays and gets developed and sticks with a program for four years is probably a lot more beneficial to a program than a five star who bolts after one year because he didn’t get enough snaps, or three years for the draft.

So I view this as a foundation class. Overhaul the roster with solid kids who get developed. In two years when the sanctions drama has passed, these kids will be seeing significant snaps. Then we can hopefully sprinkle in some elite show pony’s and hopefully start earning some respect back from the rest of the college football world.
Clemson had one of these to a higher extent in 2019... actually they do it basically every other year with the “lesser class” 2019 and 2021 they had classes that were barely around the top 10 but used a lot of spots and took kids they usually wouldn’t. Still had a 5 star or 2 but it wasn’t like their 2018 and 2020 classes that were only about 20 kids but almost every kid was an elite prospect. If we have a good year this upcoming season, we’ll be able to load up on some dudes in 2023
 
On the field, Foley has played significant reps as a tight end, H-back, and receiver, as well as an off-ball linebacker and a defensive edge player. He makes plays in all capacities for Cincinnati Anderson, which he helped to a 7-3 record and an Ohio Division II regional semifinal appearance.

Listed in the 6-foot-5, 230-pound range, Foley owns a good frame, and while his length is not verified, he should have space to add mass as desired. Foley's motor runs hot, and that shows in his blocking intensity and his pursuit consistency on defense. Foley will block to the ground if he has the opportunity to finish. His consistent lower-body drive and motor stand out the most about his blocking ability to this point.

Given his size, Foley is a tough matchup for smaller defenders. That should translate particularly well to red-zone situations. He has occasionally flashed that capability at the high school level, displaying encouraging dexterity and competitiveness in those contested scenarios.

Foley's size advantage and catch radius should help him whether targeted in the red zone or elsewhere, especially the short-to-intermediate passing game. He has also shown some encouraging run-after-catch ability in his run strength and functional athleticism.
Keys for Foley include improvement in his suddenness and fluidity. He's a long-strider with adequate top-end field speed, but his athleticism lacks verified context. Adding some fluidity and better body control will help him run crisper routes with more snap in his breaks, as well as aid his get-off urgency in his release.

From a blocking standpoint, cleaning up hand placement and leverage consistencies, the latter of which is common for taller tight ends, will make him an already good blocker that much better. As he gets stronger, his initial impact power should also rise.

Overall, Foley is a quality pickup for Tennessee. He may be scratching the surface on his capabilities when considering his terrific athletic background as a two-way, multi-positional football standout with valuable basketball context. He could be a higher-ceiling prospect given his tools and what similar data has said in recent classes.
-Brooks
 
“It was awesome,” said Foley, who’s ranked the No. 596 overall prospect and No. 32 tight end in the 2022 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. “It just kind of furthered how I feel about my decision. I definitely made the right decision.

“I fit right in. It didn’t feel like I was meeting those guys for the first time. It feels like I’ve known them forever. It was pretty much the case because of Zoom and all that.

“Talking to those guys, it was fun. … It was awesome. The connection was there. I met all the other tight ends — most of the team, I guess — a lot of the quarterbacks, a few receivers. It’s just special.”

The trip allowed the 6-foot-5.5, 233-pound Foley to explore more of Tennessee’s campus, which he had seen in person twice in April during the extended NCAA dead period for recruiting. His previous trips to Knoxville hadn’t allowed him to meet Heupel’s staff, and he said he enjoyed finally seeing Tennessee’s coaches in person.

Foley said he “pretty much just chilled with” Alex Golesh, the Vols’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, and other members of Tennessee’s staff.

“We watched football, as well,” Foley said. “We went over all the film from the spring game and kind of a lot of the concepts they’re going to try to work in, some stuff they did at UCF, some practice film. It was all around, some from everything.

“Basically, it was, like, a very simplified install. A lot of stuff block-wise, scheme-wise, we do at the high school level. It’s like the Baylor offense, and it’s just different terminology. … It would be super easy for me to pick it up. It’s, like, the same thing. It’s just different terminology.”

He also spent time with four-star Vols quarterback commitment Tayven Jackson of Greenwood, Ind., who also was in Knoxville over the weekend for an unofficial visit, and some of the targets Tennessee was hosting on official and unofficial visits.

“It was, like, a huge recruiting weekend for us,” Foley said. “I met all the guys. Me and Tayven were trying to get them to come to Tennessee.

“I mean, it was fun. It’s a good group. It would be awesome if we could get everybody there. Obviously, the chances of that are super slim. But I think, out of everybody that came, I think we have a good shot at mostly everybody. We’re in the hat for everybody. I don’t think anybody didn’t like their time. The coaches put a ton of work into it. It was a great weekend, I think, for all of them.

“I had a super time, and I had to pay for it all,” Foley added with a laugh.

Foley said he talked with nearly all of the Vols’ official visitors over the weekend, including four-star offensive linemen Addison Nichols, Ryan Brubaker and Emery Jones, along with offensive lineman Masai Reddick and four-star wide receiver Shaleak Knotts.

Four-star defensive lineman Caden Curry of Greenwood, Ind., a top-100 prospect who’s one of Jackson’s teammates, also spent time with Foley during his unofficial visit to Tennessee.

“I think we have a good shot at them,” Foley said. “I think they all enjoyed their time.”

He’s looking forward to having a similar experience this weekend during his official visit to Tennessee, with the Vols preparing to host a large group of official visitors.

“I mean, hopefully it’s almost, like, a big recruiting party. It’ll be awesome to see Venson (Sneed),” Foley said, referring to the Tennessee defensive end commitment from Winter Park, Fla., who’s also taking his official visit to Knoxville this weekend. “We’ve been connecting a lot over the phone. I’ll get to see him in person, and we’re going to try to crack down on these recruits and get them to commit.

“These last two weeks (of June) are going to be, like, the big, determining factors for our class. There are big-time names like Addison, Knotts, Caden. If we get those guys, it’s going to be special.”
-Callahan
 
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Kid will be a good one

I agree. I know it's hard to project this far out, but he seems to be quite an alpha out there. That's what we need. Forget the three star ranking, he isn't a normal 3 star, just like that 3 star RB that committed to us from Louisiana that runs a 10.46 in the 100 meter. You can't teach that, that is an elite measurable.
 
“It was nice being back up there,” Foley told Volquest. “I was down there last weekend but it was awesome to meet the recruits and get to talk to the coaches more and more.”

“There was a lot of talks about the NIL this weekend. It was also more organized this time because while I was on my unofficial visit, I pretty much just hung out with Coach Golesh the entire time. But this week it was offensive meetings and more structured.”

“They pretty much run the same offense as my high school in terms of using me in the slot, so they explained how they would use me in the slot,” Foley said. “We got to watch a whole lot of film this weekend.”
Foley has spent a lot of time with several key Tennessee targets over the last couple of weeks. He’s confident that the month of July is going to be a big month for the Vols.

“I was trying to let them know if they need anything else that I and am here to help,” Foley said. “I just wanted them to know that if they have any questions about the staff I can help them because I’ve pretty much met everybody and I already feel like I’m on the team.

“I think this next month will prove we’ve done a great job of recruiting.”
b.mckee
 

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