'This is Tennessee territory': Can Vols win over recruits and fans in Middle Tennessee?

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Vols are in Nashville.

Whether the site of the TransPerfect Music City Bowl is enemy territory or friendly confines depends on your point of view.

Coach Josh Heupel made his perspective clear.

“This is Tennessee territory,” Heupel said after practice Sunday while standing in Vanderbilt Stadium — home of the rival Commodores and the usual site for the SEC participant in the Music City Bowl. “We’re excited to see all our fans here.”

Heupel said it sincerely. Snarkiness isn’t his style.

But it came after UT’s official Twitter account trolled Vanderbilt by posting: “Nashville’s team has arrived.”

UT (7-5) plays Purdue (8-4) on Thursday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium.

Middle Tennessee offers a fertile recruiting ground for Heupel, an expanding market for UT’s season ticket base and a welcomed site to some current players returning home during the holiday season.

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“This is always going to be a UT town,” said Nashville native Brad Lampley, a former Tennessee offensive lineman who serves on the Music City Bowl board of directors. “But part of it is that UT has got to always make sure to make inroads and a major presence here.

“What we’re hearing and seeing right now, Nashville is very important to UT — as it should be.”

Recruiting Middle Tennessee a priority

Lampley is biased. His son, Jackson, is a UT offensive lineman and former Montgomery Bell Academy standout.

But the younger Lampley is an example of the Vols landing a prime recruit in talent rich Middle Tennessee, something Heupel must do.

“UT is always going to be the 800-pound gorilla everywhere east of Cookeville. But the key is that you need to be that west of Lebanon,” Lampley said. “Look at Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill and Nashville. All those areas are exploding with people and recruits.”

Heupel signed only one player from Middle Tennessee in his first signing class, Riverdale linebacker Elijah Herring. But in-state recruiting was hampered by unique circumstances in 2021.

Heupel was hired in January, later than most coaches. In-person recruiting was prohibited by COVID-19 protocols until summer, when many of the state’s best recruits had already committed to other schools.

And Heupel’s staff had to recruit against the perception that sanctions will hit the program after a yearlong NCAA investigation into recruiting violations under former coach Jeremy Pruitt.

“Players inside of the state heard all of the noise for the two and a half months before I got here,” Heupel said. “So, in some ways, I think it was harder in-state (recruiting) than maybe out-of-state this year."

There are 11 players in the top 500 from Middle Tennessee in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. That list is led by four-star Riverdale linebacker Caleb Herring, the younger brother of Elijah Herring.

“(Middle Tennessee) is a huge part of us being able to recruit inside the state. I’ve said it since the moment I got here, that it’s a priority,” Heupel said. “This area obviously has a talent rich environment, and we’ve got to continue to build those relationships.

“A lot of good players are from this area. And they get to come back home and play in front of their families (in the Music City Bowl).”

Midstate Vols returning home for bowl

Middle Tennessee is a land of opportunity for UT recruiting. But this trip is a homecoming for some Vols.

There are 19 players from Middle Tennessee on UT’s roster.

The nine on scholarship are offensive linemen Lampley (Montgomery Bell Academy), K’Rojhn Calbert (Warren County) and William Parker (Pearl-Cohn), wide receivers JaVonta Payton (Hillsboro) and Walker Merrill (Brentwood), tight end Princeton Fant (La Vergne), defensive lineman Elijah Simmons (Pearl-Cohn) and defensive backs Alontae Taylor (Coffee County) and Theo Jackson (Overton).

Taylor will not play in the bowl because he is recovering from a foot injury and preparing for the Senior Bowl and NFL Draft workouts. The rest will enjoy a homecoming of sorts.

“When we first saw we were going to Nashville, I was smiling because I get to go home,” said Jackson, a fifth-year senior playing his final game. “It’s going to mean a lot to me, knowing that I did everything that I could do all five years. And now I’m just finishing off my career where I started playing football at.”

Fant will have several friends and family members in attendance, including his 2-year-old daughter.

“That’s something I’m grateful for. She’ll get to see her dad playing ball and doing something he loves,” said Fant, who announced he’ll return next season as a super senior. “This is actually the second game she’s come to. The last game, she was very excited.”

Do Vols still have foothold in Nashville?

There are more than 34,000 UT Knoxville alumni who live within 50 miles of Nashville, including two active alumni chapters — the Nashville Region alumni chapter and Southern Middle Tennessee alumni chapter.

Many nearby UT fans will fill Nissan Stadium. The Vols' two previous appearances in the Music City Bowl posted the first and third highest attendance figures in the game's history.

But as alumni and fans of other schools move into Middle Tennessee, the Vols must fight to keep their foothold. Nashville is home base for Vanderbilt, but several other SEC schools have a presence in the area.

“It’s a melting pot. But in the melting pot, the biggest ingredient is Tennessee,” Lampley said. “We’re still a majority over Auburn and maybe Alabama — who are running probably second and third — and then Ole Miss and Kentucky. But it’s not like in Knoxville where everybody wears orange all the time.

“There’s room to grow the fan base here. But UT has to show that Nashville is a priority, and I think this administration and these coaches are doing that.”

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Can Vols win over recruits and fans in Middle Tennessee?