The four-star Class of 2023 defensive end/linebacker from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., who’s the younger brother of Tennessee linebacker commitment
Elijah Herring, said he and his family are intrigued by the thought of him attending the same school as his brother. Following the elder Herring’s commitment to the Vols, he knows that now could be an option at Tennessee.
“I’m thinking about it right now,” said Herring, who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 56 overall prospect and No. 5 weakside defensive end in the 2023 class and the No. 1 sophomore from the state of Tennessee. “I’m thinking about it. When I saw it, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is big on my recruitment.’ I’ve been thinking about it.”
Caleb Herring, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore, is still in the early stages of his own recruitment. But he said he and his family already have discussed whether he might want to reunite with his older brother in college.
“There’s been a big talk about it,” he said. “My dad, he said, ‘I would love to see both of y’all on the same team, on opposite sides, going against other teams.’
“It’s been big on my family. They want me to look into it a lot.”
College coaches aren’t allowed to directly contact Class of 2023 prospects until Sept. 1. But Herring said he recently talked with first-year Tennessee coach
Josh Heupel and Vols defensive coordinator
Tim Banks for the first time, and he likes what he has seen and heard from Tennessee’s new staff so far.
“I talked to Coach Heupel, like, last week,” Herring said. “He just talked about how they were family-oriented and stuff and how they want to get me on campus with Elijah. They said they can’t (contact) me right now. But when September comes, they’ll start talking to me more often.
“He seems like a chill dude — a cool, chill coach. But I’m just building a relationship with him. … They said they want to get me on campus with Elijah.”
The younger Herring said he believes Tennessee has a bright future under Heupel, and his brother has told him good things about the Vols’ coaches.
Elijah Herring became Tennessee’s first commitment for the 2022 class on April 14.
“When I saw what Coach Heupel to UCF, I was like, ‘Yeah, they’re going to turn this program around.’ I was impressed by that,”
Caleb Herring said. “I think they can get somewhere with this staff.”