Tennessee entered the weekend needing a strong showing to become a real contender for 5-star offensive lineman Josh Petty. The Vols did in fact show well as Petty discussed his visit with Volquest.
“It’s been great,” Petty said. “The Tennessee staff has done a great job of showing us around. The other programs I’ve been to, I came to the head coach last meeting with a lot of questions and with this staff I can’t say I had that. They did a great job of going in depth with meetings and showing me the program with southern hospitality. They let me know how Tennessee feels about me and what they can do to develop me.”
So what did Tennessee do well? He came in to the weekend with the Vols needing to make up ground and it sounds like they certainly did. 
“Tennessee did a lot of things well,” Petty said. “They showed me what kind of priority I am and how special this school is and where I can go and what this school can do for me. Midway though my recruitment I felt iffy about Tennessee but this really helped. Growing up a Tennessee fan and being able to go on this OV was special for sure.”
He spent a lot of time with offensive line coach, Glen Elarbee and head coach Josh Heupel. He loves their relationship and how tight the O-Line room is with the head coach.
“Coach Elarbee and coach Heupel seem to have a great thing going on,” Petty said. “Their relationship is special and I can see that for sure as an outsider. The way they work together and the way they appreciate each other. That O-Line and head coach go hand in hand. That was special.”
Petty is also very familiar with fellow five star talents David Sanders and George MacIntyre. Those three chop it up from time to time on text.
“Playing with talent you can’t beat that,” Petty said. “Playing with George MacIntyre, he is a gunslinger. He is a great quarterback and he can really do it. And Dave is an elite talent right there. It doesn’t get much more athletic than Dave. He is doing special things and he is a special guy. Both those guys are 5-star community.”
So while some have given the Seminoles the edge, Petty says the Vols have put themselves in the thick of it.
“100% Tennessee is in the mix,” Petty said. “This was a great visit and the hospitality was unbelievable and I had a great time.”
Watch the full interview with Petty above.
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