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Tennessee’s 2022 recruiting class took a hit on Tuesday, when longtime commit and 3-star tight end Brody Foley flipped to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Anderson’s Brody Foley flips from Tennessee to Indiana per Evan Dreyer. “He believes Indiana is a great fit with new offensive staff.”Where Southwest Ohio's top football recruits are going https://t.co/G41guz5mcm via @ENQSports @CoachEvanDreyer @_AHS_Football @IndianaFootball
— Scott Springer (@sspringersports) December 14, 2021
Foley initially committed to Tennessee in may as a low 3-star prospect. Recruiting services continued to monitor his senior season and progression as a player. That resulted in him getting a significant bump along the way. He’s currently the 495th overall player nationally and 26th ranked tight end. When Tennessee grabbed him out of Cincinnati, Ohio, it was considered a nice win on the trail.
But in recent days, something popped up. We had actually written this blurb in a story we were set to publish in mere hours about the Early Signing Period. Here’s what was written on Monday night.
There are rumors going around saying that Foley will not sign with Tennessee. Rumors appear all the time, and we don’t mention them in articles because that’s just what they are. This one seems to have some legs.
Foley is rarely on social media and as far as I can tell, has not given any interviews recently. However, his mother is on Twitter, and last night she tweeted out her displeasure with Tennessee. She essentially warned recruits about Josh Heupel and Tennessee in general.
It would seem that Foley got forced out for whatever reason. If he really was told that there wouldn’t be enough spots, it’s a bad look on the staff. Everyone knows that recruiting is a dirty business and involves a lot of questionable conduct. But it still hurts to see Tennessee turn away a kid who they greenlighted months ago. We may have some more clarification in the coming days.
As far as we know, this is indeed what happened with Foley’s commitment. It’s a shocking twist, especially considering that Foley seems to be a good prospect who has only gotten better. Obviously the staff knows more than any of us about who is a take and who isn’t, but it’s weird to see this situation play out like it has.
Tennessee’s recruiting class now has 17 commits. It’s safe to assume they will not be taking a tight end in the 2022 class, at least from the high school ranks.