Two receivers transferred away after the season, and there wasn’t much depth at the position at the start. So it’s not surprising Tennessee signed four of them Wednesday, including four-star Jason Croom from Norcross High School north of Atlanta. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder answered five questions from the Times Free Press earlier this week.
TFP: What was the first item of Tennessee apparel that you bought for yourself, and when and where did you get it?
JC: My hat. We ordered it online so I could use it for the day I committed [in August].
TFP: What NFL receiver do you think you resemble the most and why? Since I hear you’re pretty good at basketball, is there an NBA player you think you most resemble?
JC: Calvin Johnson [of the Detroit Lions]. He’s fast, he can go up and get the ball, he can move with the ball in his hands, and I think I can do the same things. (To a person Crooms was with) What basketball player would you say I was similar to? Blake Griffin.
TFP: I hear your mother, Karen, became quite the recruiter for Tennessee during your official visit to Knoxville last month. Care to explain?
JC: I kind of let her do her own little thing, but she was blessed to where she can persuade people, I guess. She’s a good talker. She was telling other recruits’ moms about Tennessee.
TFP: Why did you pick Tennessee?
JC: I don’t want to be simple, but I mean it really is just everything about it. Unlike all the other schools, Tennessee gave me a chance, because I was in a bad position when they offered me, grades wise. They believed I could do better, and I built a good relationship with the coaches. I went down there and fell in love. I qualified last semester, and I had straight A’s.
TFP: Who’s your pick in the Super Bowl: New York or New England?
JC: I’m going to give it to the Pat–; I’m going to give it to the Giants, actually. The Giants, their receivers are beastly, and their defense, that line, I don’t think the Patriots can handle that. The Patriots, their offense is equal, but on defense the Giants [have] got them.