Tennessee appears to be in good standing with offensive lineman T.J. Leifheit from Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C.
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Leifheit attended UT’s game against Ohio on Saturday during an unofficial visit.
Leifheit’s trip was significant because he took an official visit to UT on Sept. 12 to watch UT play UCLA.
Leifheit, who flew from Charlotte to Knoxville with his father on Saturday, said his official visit to UT influenced him to return.
“It was just the next game and I wanted to get back as soon as I could,” he said. “It was awesome. I had an outstanding time.”
UT is an intriguing school to Leifheit because of the opportunity for early playing time.
Leifheit plans to enroll in college in January and knows the Vols need immediate help on the offensive line.
“That’s a pretty big factor,” he said. “It’s going to play a role in it.
“Regardless of where I go I know I have to earn playing time. There won’t be anything given to me.”
Leifheit has also been drawn to UT because of its new staff.
“They just have a drive to win and they’re real passionate,” he said. “They’re real high-energy guys that do whatever it takes to get you ready to play.”
Leifheit said he’s also considering North Carolina and Southern California. He recently eliminated LSU and Florida State from his list.
Leifheit said he will take an official visit to North Carolina on Oct. 10. He hasn’t scheduled his official visit to USC.
Leifheit said he hopes to make his decision by late October.
“It’s just one of those things where I’ll say, ‘This is it,’ ” Leifheit said.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
National Signing Day 2010
Tennessee Lady Vols 82, Auburn Tigers 64
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 42
Vol_FAN_atic writes:
Awesome! We need some O-Lineman BAD!!!
EB4Heisman writes:
Sounds positive....I'll be happier when I read he's committed to the Big Orange! Go Vols!!
ChattaVol1 writes:
Come on to Big Orange Country T.J.! By the time you leave for the big $$$ in the NFL, things will be amazing in Knoxville!
whatcanbrowndoforyou writes:
Kid you come to Big Orange Country and trust me you will start if you show any ability at all. Go ahead and get in the FAST LANE!! GO VOLS!!
zigvol writes:
I live in Wilmington this kid would be a good one for us to get. He is a big mama jama.
utfpmd writes:
Good thing Crompton will be gone next year. This guy is so tall Crompton would bounce every other pass off his head.
Down_The_Field writes:
we need coach o to work overtime on this one.
we also to 3 more like this guy in this class.
VOLKING writes:
If anyone has OL in front of their name.....sign him immediately. I don't care if it's "OL Stephen Hawking showed interest in the Vols during his visit." Sign him! This guy is 6 feet 7 inches and weighs 300 pounds! Give him the keys to the kingdom! We could lay him sideways and block 3 defensive linemen. Marcash.....what's your take on this guy? Is he a Vol next year?
tdvol1989 writes:
This is good smoke. Pray for fire with ink.
crimsonviper writes:
He will be a good one,he needs to be in the SEC.
Hope the Vols get him.
Volsnfl writes:
Its_a_givin_hE_will_be_a_Vol.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
True, seems to be the real deal. He'd fit on Rocky Top.
Is he really Dupree's third cuzin? Dupree is seldom worng.
gnm53108 writes:
Agree.
OL Stone out of nashville.
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
Um, exactly which game were you watching? Watch the replays Marlene. Gator fans were in shock and all they did was cover their mouths and hug each other. And yes, people are questioning UF RIGHT NOW. They're questioning if he'll be able to play against LSU, talking about how it's probably their biggest game, and best of all, questioning why URBAN DIDN'T PULL HIM OUT WHEN THE GAME WAS ALREADY DECIDED!
I would expect anyone to know this, but seeing as you live on this website, I know you haven't gone over to ESPN and actually read the articles. No UF/Meyer/Tebow articles lately? Are you delusional? The top three stories on ESPN.com are on Tebow!
The only ignorant comments on here are made by you.
10volunteers98 writes:
Hope we can get Leifheit.We need some big O linemen to protect a worthwhile QB (Bray).Hope Kiffin will at least give Stephens a shot in the Auburn game,just to see what he can do.If Stephens is worse than Crompton,he`d may as well be working in a gas station in South Carolina!
golfballs03 writes:
Leifheit and Stone would be awesome. They'd see the field almost immediately
givehim6 writes:
Hope to see you in orange next year BIG guy!
doubledown writes:
When can you start? Sure Jan 2010 is fine, so you can get into the weight room, the Spring Practice.
Think we can find him a helmet??
UrbanCryer writes:
you can thank UT later for costing uf the national championship this year. How, you ask? because little urbbie still had superman in the game(while it was clearly over)trying to run up the score because(insert baby voice)him was still mad at big, mean old lane kiffin. uf and little urbbie didnt get the payback they wanted, were exposed, boosters lost $$ and he was gonna make up for it this week. thats is until superman got exposed to some kentucky kryptonite.
btw UT looked awful because they had the FLU!! HA!!HA!!HA!!
DenverVol writes:
This is good news! Huge if he committed.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Agreed. If it had ONLY been the hit by the UK guy, Tim would have maybe taken a deep breath, shaken his head, told the guy "good hit", and got up like nothing else happened. It was hitting the knee of the Florida O-lineman with the back of his head that did the damage.
EastTNvolfan writes:
I can understand maybe wanting to stay in-state, but if given the choice of playing in-state for UNC or going to Unive of TN and SEC stardom it seems like it would be a simple choice. I doubt if playing in-state was such a priority then California would definitely be off his list. Knoxville is within driving distance. I say give him a jersey now although at 6'7" and 300lbs we may need to sew a few together.
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
One, I'm am a liberal Democrat.
Two, I'm a veteran of Iraq after serving in the Infantry. 1-506th, 101st Airborne.
Three, yes I revel in the fact that UF fans finally shut up and realized Tebow is human.
Four, I DO NOT WISH THAT INJURY ON ANYONE. I caught an RPG to my windshield of my Humvee and had a nasty concussion. Tebow will now probably have TBI, and I know what it is like to live with it. DO YOU?
Urban Meyer will probably let Tebow right back on the field regardless of his prognosis, and with his playing style, he is EXTREMELY likely to get another, worse concussion.
Next time you want to criticize someone and try to compare them to your stereotype of a certain political party member, think twice and just shut the f%#@ up. Just like a damn Republican to label liberals as people who don't support wars. You think only Republicans serve in the military? MY WHOLE FAMILY IS DEMOCRAT AND THEY HAVE ALL SERVED. I joined after 9/11. You think I didn't support the war in Afghanistan? Iraq was a mistake, but I went, and I bled, so I have every right to criticize that one.
And don't try to smooth this over with me like you've done with other vets in the past. You'll just look like a fool. As always.
Mr_Brownstone writes:
who cares, your boy got POPPED, COLD COCKED, KO'D. it was awesome. he was puking on the sideline. buw hahahaha. if i were on the field I would have done the gator chomp over him. how do you like them apples???
missrvrvol writes:
Stuart Mandel on CNNSI.com is now saying with Tebow hurt, UF is no longer the clear cut favorite to win it all....ummmmmm
marinevol writes:
OooRah! DeltaCharlie is a DeltaIndiaCharlieKilo.
mbible1utk#324980 writes:
T.J. has probably the two worst schools he could have on his list right now for us.... USC, which makes recruiting look like grocery shopping... and North Carolina..which his reluctance to let go of makes me think he would like to stay close to family... I hope he looks at us as being the perfect balance of what he's looking for.
transplantiam writes:
T.J. would be a great addition to our team. From previous articles that I've read on him is that he and his family are leaning heavily toward NC though. It is sounding great that he's giving us a second look and likes what he see's here. Come on , Coach(es), grab this one if you can. Welcome to the Vols, Big Guy!! HOPEFULLY!!
Also, when I read this article, I could have sworn it was about aa very good OL recruit, then as I'm reading the comments, the comments start on Tebow and him getting hurt. No, I don't like him, but I do admire his talent and don't wish injury on anyone but that is another article on here. Point being, can y'all at least stay within the story line and not start argueing about something that has NOTHING to do with this article? It would be nice to see that we as VOl fans aren't so stupid as to start rambling on and don't remember what the story line is!JMO
GO VOLS!!
tfortennessee writes:
You seem to be making some attempt to get someone to say they are glad tebowel got hurt. Well, frankly I don't give a rat's arse one way or the other. I did get a laugh however, out of watching him lay on his back with his arms pointing skyward doing a little unconscious quiver however. And then when he was carted away with that dazed and confused look, wow. Laughed each time ESPN showed it over and over and over and over........Still LMAO!!!!! I hope he is able to come back in a few weeks, cause I sure as hell hope that if Gators do get to the championship game, I want those big ugly linemen from Bama to get a little bit of teebowel as well.
chargervol writes:
Hmmmm! Where did Delta go? It looks like Gator_Hater popped him in the chops with one of those Jackson to James bombs! Thanks Hater, for your service and the smack down of charlie boy. GO VOLS!!!
chargervol writes:
Where did delta go? Looks like Gator_Hater done went and slapped him in the chops with one of those Janzen Jackson to brandy james bombs. Thanks, Hater, for your service to our country, and the smackdown of charlie! GO VOLS!!!
chargervol writes:
I thought I would respond to myself like delta and reamer do! Both of them have knee problems go back and look at their posts. They are always on knees. GO VOLS!!!
oldsmokey67 writes:
You guys are in deep trouble if Tebow can't play.Brantly looked so so but not good enough for lsu.I mean he's better than our's but i would'nt be happy to go with him.He need's about 4-5 or five starts against quality competition before you start jumping on his band wagon.And like i said he is better than our's so you can't talk that phooey that spews from your computer.GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SWAVol writes:
Glad to hear Tebow is ok. Hate to play against him but I respect the kid. He has demonstrated that he is a good person and tough as nails. Meyer needs to look in the mirror and realize when you are up 31 points that your stud needs to be on the bench. The way Tebow plays puts him in harms way enough. Keep it up and he will be back in the hospital soon.
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
Yep, my screen name suggests hate. Hate for Gator fans with big mouths like you. But don't lecture me for showing hate. It's obvious that you and your family hate anyone that labels themselves as liberal. I'm so sorry that it offends you that I support policies to spend money on our own citizens instead of bogus weapon systems that don't work (don't argue, if you've never been a grunt, which you haven't, then you wouldn't know that twisty knobs and lasers break down in combat). I'm sorry I don't agree with an illegal war drummed up by CONSERVATIVES in the White House and which has killed over 4,000 of my brothers and sisters. I'm sorry if you think liberals made my life miserable in the Army (which they didn't). I'm also sorry that you're obviously a bible-thumping hypocrite who probably sits in church judging everyone else when you really need to look in the mirror at the hate-filled garbage you spew on this website. I'm sorry that Gator Nation finally had their bubble busted when Tebow went down and they were at a loss for words. I'm sorry I flat out said I would never wish that injury on anyone (except now maybe you) and you went and put a frickin' Glenn Beck spin on it. I'm sorry I used to kill people for a living and most of the time I don't have any compassion for civilians that sit on a computer all day on a rival team's website trying to pick a fight. I'm sorry you think I'm a joke. And most of all, I'm so sorry that you won't have any further discussions with me since I b!tch slapped you upside the head earlier and you know it.
Psychovol writes:
Children please! Everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten.
VOL03_NC writes:
GET OFF THE POLITICAL phooey!!
Both parties are ran by satan himself!!
They both are taking our country to HELL.
Liberals are just leading the way NOW!!!
Back to football...
HallowedHill writes:
His attitude sounds like a perfect fit for our program. Reel this guy in today!
mlynn1 writes:
Great reply Gator_Hater. Also thanks for your service. Now, Delta Charleen, just go away, please. Your wasting your time here, no matter what you type, you have no credibility here.
tractoronthepole writes:
In addition to Leifelt Some of the highest OT's left and proximity not too far from UT. Lets get them coaches.
Damien Robinson (Olive Branch HS)
Olive Branch, MS 6-8/330
James Stone (Maplewood Comp HS)
Nashville, TN 6-4.5/285
windy writes:
Gator-Hater, you sound just like me. In fact we may be twins. Thank you for standing up against that piece of s--- Deltacharlie. Delta, I agree with everything Gator said and then some. If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen. You are hated at this site so go to He--. I wish I had the chance to lay a lick on you instead of Tebow. You and all your so called gop friends make me sick. You lost the election so take it like a man, oh you can't because you are not a man, and go away and shut up. Gator keep giving him hell, we are behind you.
dvols writes:
i heard Santa was mentioned here earlier.....awesome! gotta love some some Santa!
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