Tennessee freshman defensive back Tre Poteat, the son of former NFL defensive back and return specialist Hank Poteat, wants to be his own player.
Yet having a father who produced at football’s highest level for a decade does have its benefits.
“I think it’s just having his mindset of competing all the time and just trying to find ways of doing the right thing,” Poteat said earlier this spring in a news conference. “I grew up around this and got to see my dad play in the NFL, so I just stayed around the game and stayed by his side and fell in love with the game.”
The 6-foot, 190-pound Poteat is a four-star member of Tennessee’s 2025 signing class out of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, making him the first Volunteers scholarship football player from the Badger State in more than 60 years and just the third ever. He worked at cornerback but also at other positions this spring, including at the “star” spot as Boo Carter’s backup along with Jalen McMurray and fellow freshman Dylan Lewis.
Secondary coach Willie Martinez said the staff was “careful” with how much information they thrust upon the newcomers, but defensive coordinator Tim Banks was happy with what Poteat was able to inhale.