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First visit to Rocky Top 'checked pretty much all of the boxes' for massive 4-star OL Tommy Tofi

4A3DA472-0F39-4C89-9987-5851509375C0by:Matt Ray•04/06/25•

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Tommy Tofi
Tommy Tofi (Photo by Don Vinculado)

Archbishop Riordan (Calif.) offensive lineman Tommy Tofi made the trip to the East Coast on Saturday to check out Rocky Top. Following the visit, the four-star prospect went in-depth with Volquest on the stop.

“I enjoyed watching practice and Coach Elarbee,” Tofi said of what stood out about the visit. “Just fundamentally, just watching him, he’s great at pointing out things that we need to work on and, also, just helping the players out with what they need to fix on the line and what they need to do fundamentally. That’s what I like about Coach Elarbee right now.”

Josh Heupel and Glen Elarbee both made Tofi comfortable throughout the visit and impressed the elite prospect during the trip.

The fact that Coach Heupel is a great coach, and Coach Elarbee, too,” Tofi said of this. “He’s just breaking down my game-day film and also comparing me to his linemen fundamentally and what (I should) fix in my techniques. That’s what blew me away. When I come back home, he kind of told me that’s the parts where I need to work on. It’s kind of, like, helping me throughout this whole thing.”

Football fit is important to Tofi, and he was also impressed by what he saw from Tennessee’s offensive tackles.

“I see that the tackles, they’re pretty much fundamentally sound,” he said. “They’re good with technique and stuff — their footwork and their hand placement. Just scheme-wise, it fits pretty well to what Coach Elarbee was talking about.”

The message from the Tennessee staff was direct and to the point for the West Coast standout.

“The message to me today (was) that I should be a part of this team,” he said, “and I fit this system pretty well.”

While Tofi is currently playing high school ball in California, he noted that distance is not a hindrance in his recruitment.

“It doesn’t play a huge factor,” the four-star said. “I just want to go somewhere where I could best fit and, also, where they can help me with my development in this whole process.”

He plans to return to Knoxville the weekend of June 13th for an official visit with the Vols. He will also take trips to Cal, Utah, and Ohio State over the summer.

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