“I would say it’s wide open, but I know I’ll always have Tennessee being, like, the big in-state school, so I know I will always keep them close to heart because it’s Tennessee,” Crocker said. “I’ve grown up in Tennessee. It’s close to my family, so that’s definitely an important thing to me. I will always kind of value that.
“And they’re early on me. I also really value that — like, the early belief, rather than coming in later on. That’s definitely a plus to me, too.”
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“The campus was great,” he said, recalling his junior-day visit with the Vols’ former staff more than a year ago. “It was me and my dad. We liked the academics, too. We liked how they had, like, tutors and stuff like that. I thought that was really a good thing, and it was definitely a plus. We got to see all the facilities and, at the time, talked to the coaches. And that was pretty cool, trying to build a relationship with them.
“But the visit was great. I really enjoyed my time on campus.”
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“I think I’ve been to, like, the Alabama game and the Vandy game versus Tennessee. … Definitely, the atmosphere is special, just from being there for a few games,” he said. “You can definitely tell the fans are so into it, and they care a lot about the team.
“And, I mean, it’s definitely a catchy song — ’Rocky Top’ — so that’s a plus.”
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“I know that Tennessee hasn’t been in a place where they’ve wanted to be for, like, the last few years,” Crocker said. “But (it is) definitely on the rise with Coach Heupel.”
