Blake Garrettson’s dream came true in November.

The lineman from Morristown East High School committed to play for Tennessee after receiving a scholarship offer from the Vols last month. It was an offer Garrettson couldn’t refuse.

Garrettson talked about how his life has changed since he became a Vol and what it means to know he will play for UT.

Q: What has life been like since you committed to play for UT?

A: It’s been pretty exciting. You get a lot of attention from everybody and all the media. I just had to get used to everybody coming up to me asking questions. Then again you try to not let too much out.

Q: How hard has it been to adjust to the media attention?

A: It wasn’t really hard. You sort of get used to it after a while. It’s pretty exciting actually. It makes you feel good inside knowing that you’re going to Tennessee and to have all these people come up to you and they’re going to start looking up to you now.

Q: How have your family and friends reacted to your commitment to UT?

A: They all like it because they’ve always wanted me to go to Tennessee with me being just right down the road from them. They always wanted me to go there so they’re really proud of me. I haven’t really seen a change from them. They’re pretty excited.



Q: Do you think they were caught off guard when you received an offer from the Vols?

A: Everybody knew it was going to be a possibility because of me going to camp and they were starting to look at me. But I don’t think anybody ever took me seriously. I told them they were looking me and all this other stuff, but nobody took me seriously enough I don’t think.

Q: Did it motivate you when people didn’t take you seriously?

A: It did because I wanted to show everybody that I could do it and I wasn’t going to just be another one of those people. We’ve had plenty of people with the ability to go to college around here and then they’d either go and quit or not keep their grades up. I just wanted to prove everybody wrong that I could do it.

Q: Were you surprised by the offer from UT?

A: I think I was because I didn’t expect them to come right out and give it to me first. Alabama and Kentucky were probably looking at me more than Tennessee and I expected them to give me an offer before Tennessee. But when Tennessee offered, I jumped all over it because that’s like a dream come true for me.

Q: Does the chance to play for UT mean more to you because you’ve grown up a fan of the Vols?

A: I think it means more to me than it would anybody else because I’m from here. This is my home state. It just makes me real proud that I could work hard and be a local boy to go play for them.

Q: What are some goals for yourself and UT when you get to Knoxville?

A: It’ll mostly be trying to win as much as we can, trying to work hard and have a good work ethic to get the job done. But mainly it’ll be to represent my hometown. We’ve probably had like three people ever to go to Tennessee, to big colleges from this town. It’ll mainly be to just represent them and put us on the map.

Q: What does the chance to represent Morristown mean to you?

A: It means a lot because very few people have done it. I want to be a standout to everybody. I want to be somebody that everybody looks up to.

Q: Do you think it means more to someone coming from in the state to play for UT than someone from outside the state?

A: I think so. I could have gone to Kentucky or Alabama and still played and done well. But it wouldn’t have meant as much to me because that’s not my home state. That’s not where I’m from. I think it means more to play for your own area of the country.

Q: Would you like to see UT recruit more in-state players?

A: Yes. I think they said this year is the most people they’ve recruited in-state. I think they were sort of making a mistake on that because there’s more talent in-state than they actually realize.

Q: Was it hard to see UT struggle last season?

A: I’ve grown up watching them. They’ve always been a winning team. It sort of disappointed me a little bit, but I don’t think it had an effect on my choice because I know they are a winning team and they’re not going to stay down like everybody thinks they are.

Q: What do you think needs to happen to get things turned back around?

A: I think the players have to take it upon themselves to realize that this can’t happen again. We have to get in there and work hard on the field and in the weight room and put it in our heads to concentrate on football and that we have to do our jobs and get the job done.

Q: What position do you expect to play in college?

A: Probably defensive end or defensive tackle. That’s what they’re recruiting me for. That’s where I want to play so I’m going to work hard to keep that position.

Q: What do you think will allow you to be successful on the defensive line?

A: Mainly my speed plus my size. I’m big enough to play defensive end or tackle. Then again I’m quick enough. Those big linemen, I’m not quite as big as them, but I’m faster so I can get around them. I think that’s what is mainly going to help me.

Q: Do you think your speed help put you on the map?

A: That’s the main thing that’s had everybody looking at me. There are a lot of boys my size, but there’s nobody as fast as me with my size. I think that’s mainly what got everybody looking at me.