4-star OT Bennett Warren commits to Tennessee: 'I’m 100% excited to play in front of over 100,000 people'

Sugar Land (Texas) Fort Bend Christian Academy four-star offensive tackle Bennett Warren knew who his favorite was following an official visit to Michigan on June 9. Even though he viewed the Wolverines so highly, a decision for Warren wasn’t going to come until he finished all four of his official visits.

Tennessee had the luxury of hosting Warren last in June. It was his first trip to Knoxville and one that he had been eagerly anticipating.

With everything Warren experienced on that one visit, it clicked together and he knew he had found his future home. Warren made it official on Monday announcing his pledge to Josh Heupel and the Volunteers.

“When I got the chance to go down to Knoxville and not just talk on the phone with the coaches very week, it was very different,” Warren told On3. “Being around that whole staff, seeing the energy they bring to that environment was unmatched. I knew that first time was going to be special. When I did get the chance to go up there, it changed everything.”

Tennessee’s coaches weren’t the only ones who greeted Warren with open arms on that visit. The players currently on the roster and other committed recruits also already showed him a ton of love.

That family type of environment was unlike anything he had experienced before. It was just one of the four boxes Tennessee checked off along with getting to play in a college town like Knoxville in what he considers to be the best conference in the country..

“I love the city of Knoxville because it’s an alluring college town,” said Warren, the No. XXX player in the 2024 class. “I enjoyed myself when I was there. It’s not too big and not too little and that’s something I enjoyed.

…Being in the SEC was also a big point. I wanted to play in the SEC because it is the best conference in America. Other conferences aren’t bad but specifically the SEC and being an o-lineman, there aren’t any others that are bette.”

Vols fanbase unlike anything Warren has ever seen

Well before he had even picked up an offer from Tennessee, Warren got his first look at the Vols last season while on a trip to LSU. He watched the Vols beat up on the Tigers 40-13 in Baton Rouge.

That blowout win caught his attention what Tennessee could do on the field. Off of the field, the support he saw from the Vols’ fans who completely covered one side of the stadium in orange blew him away.

That day Warren knew that if he picked up an offer from the Vols, it would be one he’d keep a close eye on. When that offer eventually came, the support he felt from Tennessee fans telling him to come to Knoxville was never-ending.

“Tennessee’s fan base is ferocious and every day on Twitter and Instagram I get ‘We need Bennett! We need Bennett!’,” Warren said. “You can really see just how much Tennessee fans are into watching Tennessee football and how much the state cares about the program. I’m 100% excited to play in front of over 100,000 people.

…That’s a make or break situation where you fold under the pressure or rise to the occasion. Lord-willing I feel like I can rise to the occasion.”