Tennessee football team freshmen Elliot Berry, Evan Berry, Neiko Creamer, Vic Wharton, Dillon Bates, and Todd Kelly, Jr., from left, pose for a portrait at the University of Tennessee Anderson Training Center in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE – None of the 32 players in the University of Tennessee’s touted 2014 football recruiting class lived closer to their future home than Todd Kelly.
The safety grew up in Knoxville, the son of a former Volunteers defensive lineman, and his ability attracted a number of suitors hoping to pluck him out of Tennessee’s backyard.
And many of those programs — Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson, among them — have had much more recent success than Tennessee.
Yet that seemed to be part of the allure for Kelly and many of the players that joined him in the Vols’ signing class, particularly the six legacy players who spoke to the media late last week.
“Tennessee really rose above all of them because of the coaching staff and the vision they have,” said Kelly, who starred at Knox Webb . “They want to bring the winning tradition back to the program, which is what everybody wants. I’m a local guy, and I’ve seen the fans struggle.