Tennessee commit Tanner Ingle didn't have to chase down the truth amid rumors about the status of Volunteers head coach Butch Jones on Sunday. The ousted coach called Ingle personally.
"I spoke with Coach Jones about 30 minutes ago," the defensive back said about 12:30 Sunday afternoon. "He said he didn't really expect that to happen, but it did so he told me to find a place to go, quickly ... and that if he gets anything he will contact me."
Ingle said he remains committed to Tennessee, but his recruitment is open and that NC State looks to be the frontrunner for his services. He said he will for sure take an official visit to NC State and possibly Virginia Tech, where former teammate Robert Porsher IV is a freshman. Current teammate cornerback Braxton Clark is also currently committed to Hokies.
Ingle, whose high school team advanced to the second round of the Class 8A state playoffs Friday night, has been committed to Tennessee since June 19.
He said he would like to wait and find out who the new Tennessee coach will be before he makes a decision on decommitting from UT.
"I'm going to take my visits and see what happens from there," Ingle said. "I'd also like to see who the new coaching staff will be and if they will honor my commitment or not."
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Ingle, who can play both cornerback or safety, missed the first two games of the season for with a torn meniscus. In nine games he is averaging 6.2 tackles per game.
One other Central Florida player Brandon Cross, a cornerback, is also committed to Tennessee and he said earlier this week that he would remain committed to UT regardless of the outcome of Jones' status. Cross said he plans to sign with Tennessee on Dec. 20, the new early National Signing Day for football if the new staff chooses to accept him.
