4-star Elijah Rushing details ‘great experience’ on Rocky Top for OV

It had been almost a year since Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.) top-30 EDGE Elijah Rushing was last on Rocky Top. That changed this weekend as the elite prospect made his way across the country for an official visit with the Vols. Following the trip, Rushing detailed the weekend with Volquest.

“It was a great experience,” Rushing said of the official visit with the Vols. “You can ask any recruit that was here and they will tell you the same thing. This was a great experience, and I am glad I got to come back to Tennessee. This was a great OV.”

“I would say just the energy,” Rushing added on what stood out about the trip. “I would say it was the best photoshoot I have been to as far as energy wise. Just the camaraderie between the recruits and all of the players; that was probably the biggest thing.”

Learning more about Tennessee’s scheme this weekend was also important for Rushing coming in, and he got those answers during the trip.

“Basically just learning more of the basics of the scheme and how it pertains to the LEO,” Rushing said of this conversation with the Tennessee coaches. “That is what they are looking at me as, so mainly just how I fit into that position and how important that is to the defense is and how the defense works off of that.I can see myself playing there. It matches my skillset.”

Rushing enjoyed his time around the Tennessee coaches, including Mike Ekeler, Rodney Garner and Levorn Harbin, and the people in general on Rocky Top this weekend as well.

“They just seem to be great people. It seem like everybody feeds off of one another which is something to see as a recruit, and you can tell it is a great culture, so that is great to see.”

Rushing also spent time around current players and other highly touted recruits during the weekend, including recent enrollee Chandavian Bradley and 2024 EDGE Jordan Ross.

“Chandavian was my player host,” Rushing said. “I was around recruits like Jordan Ross and some defensive players over this visit. It was good to be around them.”

Knowing that Tennessee already has an elite offense and wants to revamp the defense is something that appeals to Rushing as well.

“It is definitely appealing to be on the come up of a program,” Rushing said of this having an appeal to him. “Any recruit would want to do that.”

Rushing plans to make a decision sometime in July, and the Vols will remain a factor in his recruitment following this visit.

“Before, when I took my first visit, it was a great visit but there were a lot of unknowns. This pretty much revealed the unknowns and gave me a good understanding of who they are and what they offer. It was very good for me to come out here and pay attention to them.”

Rushing is rated as the No.30 overall prospect and No.4 EDGE in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ratings. On3 Rates Rushing as the No.50 overall recruit and No.4 EDGE in the class. Rushing is also rated as the top prospect from Arizona.

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