Tennessee Vols true freshman says he uses his lower recruiting ranking as motivation

One of the Tennessee Vols' more unheralded 2024 signees will have plenty of motivation when he gets a chance to hit the field in Neyland Stadium.

Three-star safety Edrees Farooq was one of the Vols' lowest rated signees in the 2024 recruiting class.

Farooq, 5-foot-11.5/185 lbs from Baltimore, MD, was rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 53 safety in the nation and the No. 589 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.

Despite his lower recruiting ranking, the Vols loved what they saw from Farqooq during the recruiting process, specifically his movements and they way he performed against elite competition.

Farooq joined TPL Tennessee earlier this offseason to discuss his recruitment and his first few months in Knoxville and he admitted that the way the recruiting services evaluated him as a player made him "more hungry".

" It made me more hungry , just to see these websites downplay me on my game play," said Farooq. "Through every game (in high school), I just gave it my all and made a name for myself."

When players play with a chip on their shoulder, they almost always perform at a higher level. It's that chip that provides motivation for players when the grind of the season/camp/practice hits. And it can be the difference when a play absolutely has to be made in the fourth quarter of a tight game.

Bringing in players with a chip on their shoulder seems to be a priority for Josh Heupel and his staff.

That shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, that's the way Heupel approached the game as a player during his time at Oklahoma.

Players have to have elite abilities to thrive in the SEC. But ultimately, if you want to have success in college football's toughest conference, you have to be an elite competitor. And it sounds like that's what the Vols are getting in Farooq.

Related: Recent comments from former Oklahoma DC Mike Stoops are ironic considering the way Josh Heupel was fired by Sooners