Elite recruit from Alabama makes statement about Tennessee Vols coaching staff that fans will appreciate

The Tennessee Vols are one of five teams still in the mix to land 2025 four-star safety Eric Winters.

Winters, 6-foot-2/200 lbs from Enterprise, AL, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 safety in the nation and the No. 49 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.

Auburn, Georgia, Florida, and Miami are the other four teams that Winters is considering.

For now, Auburn, the hometown program, is viewed as the favorite to land Winters.

The Vols, however, are still a threat to land the talented safety thanks in large part to Tennessee's coaching staff, which Winters recently described to 247Sports as "down to earth".

" Those are the most down to earth guys I've met ," said Winters . "They produce talent year and year out. I've got a really good relationship with Coach (Josh) Heupel. We chat all of the time about life itself. They're also the type of guys, from a parent's point of view, that you feel comfortable with sending your child off to because you know they'll improve you in life, on and off the field ."

Winters' comments about Tennessee's coaches echo what we often hear from top recruits. The Vols' coaching staff is viewed as a group of coaches who truly care about their players away from the field.

In fact, it seems like most of the recruits who speak about Tennessee's coaching staff first mention that they talk to recruits more about life than giving tired "recruiting pitches".

That approach doesn't mean that the Vols are going to win every recruiting battle they're in, but it certainly appears that it's leading to more success on the recruiting trail than we've seen from Tennessee under past coaching staffs.

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