Wide receiver Amari Jefferson talks decision to transfer home to Tennessee
Tennessee picked up a new addition from a familiar name as Amari Jefferson is transferring back home to Tennessee after signing with Nick Saban and Alabama just over a year ago.
“Just with Saban retiring, and like his whole staff kind of me being close with them and them not being there anymore, I just kind of felt like I wanted to change and Tennessee was was very close in my recruitment out of high school and I feel very comfortable with the people up at Tennessee,” Jefferson said about his decision to leave Alabama for Rocky Top. “Getting back close to home is kind of what I just wanted to do and I think that’s the best place for me is to be at Tennessee.”
He came close to picking Tennessee out of high school, and some of the reasons that the Vols were very impressive to him still remain.
“Definitely the culture that coach Heup has instilled throughout the program and then coach Pope being a young receiver coach,” Jefferson said. “I think we will be able to get along very well and then also just me being so close and me being from the state of Tennessee, just being a Tennessee kid, I’ll be able to explore those opportunities and be able to take full advantage of being being from the state of Tennessee.”
Jefferson had hip surgery at the beginning on November and will soon be cleared to go through spring practice.
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“I’ll be so I’ll be cleared at the beginning of February,” Jefferson said. “It was a minor procedure that I had an MRI back in March of my senior year and they kind of said that I needed to go ahead and get it, but I chose to play out my senior baseball season and then wait to get it when I got to Alabama and so I kind of feel like when I got it it was the perfect time and a perfect time for me to be able to be back for spring ball. So I’ll be all good to go and I should be better from it.”
After redshirting this season, Jefferson will have four years to play in Knoxville. He hopes to bring a work ethic and much more to the wide receiver room.
“Just a playmaker someone who can who can score for any part of the field,” Jefferson said. “Someone who is very explosive with great hands and great route running, and then just someone that can break the game open from anywhere on the field.”
