If you’re any bit familiar with what happens in the college football world this time of year, you’re more than used to hearing about recruiting visits – and, more importantly, official visits. You’re seeing RTI headlines such as “This Player Schedules Official Visit With the Vols,” or “That Player Is In Knoxville For Official Visit With Tennessee,” multiple times per week.
But have you ever wondered what actually happens during one of these official visits? Keen-eyed fans will know there’s a photoshoot session. That much is obvious from Instagram and X posts galore. But there’s a lot more that Tennessee does to help put on an unforgettable weekend for these prospects in order to hopefully sway them into choosing the Vols.
Tennessee quarterback commit Derrick Baker is a social media savant. After his official visit to Knoxville in early June, Baker uploaded a seven-minute vlog to YouTube detailing much of his experience on Rocky Top. He shows off some of the activities that the players get into, how Tennessee sets up their social gatherings, what all goes into the hospitality treatment, and more.
It’s a great behind-the-scenes look at what Tennessee actually does for any Vol fan keeping up with the headlines.
Take a look here:
Time Stamps:
0:00 Shuttle Arrives
0:11 The Grand Entrance
0:27 Walk Around & Visiting The On-Site Chiropractor
0:57 Taking A Look At The Dorms & Facility
1:20 Private Breakfast For The Vols
1:32 Tennessee at K1 Speed in Knoxville
2:33 Private Meet & Greet Party at Neyland
2:49 Photo Shoot with Tennessee Gear
3:15 Media Day & Video Shoots in Uniform
4:57 Food Hall
5:11 Finishing the Weekend w/ Family & Games
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Bursts Up Recruiting Rankings After Big Three Commitment Weekend
Baker was on campus with a number of big-name recruits and commits. The seemingly successful weekend featured priority five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, as well, whom Josh Heupel and Tennessee are making a huge push for to try to top Ohio State.
Over the course of the weekend, UT also landed multiple commitments. This featured local four-star tight end Malik Howard, three-star cornerback Dylan Haley and junior college defensive lineman Christian Mays.
Baker committed to the Vols on Feb. 11, 2026. Since then, he’s added offers from SEC squads South Carolina and Georgia. Other teams that have extended offers in his recruitment include Virginia Tech, Florida State, Virginia, Illinois, Auburn, Ohio State, TCU, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Miami, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Indiana and more Power Four programs.
Tennessee Football currently has 16 total commitments in its 2027 class after getting six new ones in the last 11 days. The Vols rank 27th in the nation on Rivals’ site.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news.
