Tennessee’s game-day visit list for last Saturday’s showdown with No. 1 Texas included plenty of top targets, and one of the most notable was four-star interior offensive lineman Grayson Williams.
Williams, who checks in at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, plays for Southeast Raleigh High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Rivals Industry rankings place him as the No. 3 player in North Carolina, the No. 3 interior offensive lineman in the country, and the No. 49 overall prospect in the 2028 class. His top 10 includes Tennessee, NC State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Nebraska, Florida, LSU, Oregon and North Carolina.
After the visit to Rocky Top, Williams described the experience as memorable, even with Tennessee coming up short in a close home loss in its SEC opener.
“It was one of one. It was amazing out here. So, uh, just being out here with the people, everybody was kind, you know, they talk real good football, and everyone knows me personally, so it was good," Williams said.
What stood out most, he said, was the way Tennessee made him feel part of the program.
“Um, compared to some other schools, this is actually a big, big look for me. Honestly a lot of other schools kind of get a little side tracked, but these guys make it known that everyone is family here, they make sure everybody’s a part of the family,” Williams said.
He also said he expects to be back in Knoxville after the season to see practice and get a better feel for the way Tennessee develops its players.
“I’ll probably come after the season for a practice. I came to see the game day, but I wanna see how if I was a player, how I would practice here and how they would be coaching me up.”
Williams has already built a relationship with Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee and offensive analyst Deonte' Cruse, and he spoke highly of both.
“Those guys can help me lead on and off the field. They be helping me keep my head up when I know I gotta lead 4 guys on the field, and make sure I’m always good and all that. They check up on me, talk about football, and talk about outside of football, and stuff like that," Williams said.
He added that Tennessee has made its pitch clear.
“They tell me I’m their number one guy, so just that word, that word that they tell me, they said it a lot. It made it very, very, very known for me that I need to be here and that they need me here, so I can go on the o line and show my athleticism.”
Williams also put the Volunteers near the very top of his list.
“Top of the list, one of the schools on the top of the list,” Williams said
For Williams, the draw goes beyond the visit itself. Tennessee’s comfort level and the SEC stage both mattered in a big way.
“It’s kinda hard to say, it’s just Tennessee. You know what I mean?
The players here, family, I feel like I could go to any of these guys, any of these coaches' houses right now, and be comfortable where I’m at. It’s all about comfortability and they play SEC football, you can’t beat that.”
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