In-state ATH Brandon Leavell ready to check out Rocky Top after getting offer from Vols

Madison (Tenn.) Goodpasture Christian School standout Brandon “Slim” Leavell was not expecting to receive a phone call from Tennessee last week to let him know he had an offer from the Vols. But, it was something he had hoped for for some time.

“It was completely unexpected,” Leavell told Volquest. “I got called into my coach’s office, and my family was there, and I thought I had done something. I got on the phone with Coach Scott Altizer and Coach Poindexter, and they let me know I had an offer from Tennessee. It was great to hear.”

Leavell said it really just came down to his film as to why the Vols decided to pull the trigger and offer him.

“My head coach sent them all of my film, and they just told me they really liked how I could play,” Leavell said. “They liked how I can fly around to the football and make plays and said that really stands out, especially at my size, being 6-2, 6-3. That was a big thing that stood out to them, and they just really expressed how much they liked that about me.”

Leavell was impressed by his initial conversation with Anthony Poindexter as well.

“Just hearing him express all of that,” Leavell said of what stood out about Poindexter. “Hearing how much he really liked how I can play and that he can see my playing safety or corner. Tennessee has always been a dream of mine. So for him to say all of that really stood out to me. It really showed his true character and what he sees in me and that he believes in me.”

Leavell is ready to get to Knoxville now that he has an offer in hand from the Vols and says he “definitely” plans to get a spring practice and “potentially the spring game”.  He will look to learn as much as he can about the program during the visits.

“I want to see how they coach and how they develop guys. That is the biggest thing for me is just trying to get to the next level. Seeing how they are trying to create great young men. So definitely the development will be key.”

Leavell says Florida State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Mississippi State are among the programs showing him plenty of attention right now. He plans to hit the road in the spring and narrow his focus for official visits in the summer.