Back on Halloween, the Vols landed two commitments. One of the commitments they landed was a turnaround from Wisconsin. This turnaround came as Brenden Anes turned to Tennessee.

Anes is an in-state commit to Page High School. The three-star linebacker sat down with Tennessee on SI to later detail his decision and thought process.

“There are many reasons why I chose to commit to Tennessee. One of the major factors was the ability to stay home and be close to my family. Giving my family the opportunity to be able to come support me at all of my home games and throughout my college career was very important to me. Also, Coach Inge and Coach Heupel are awesome. They recruited me very well last year and I learned to respect and like them a lot. One of the things Coach Heupel kept telling me was how great linebackers coach and teacher Inge was. A few weeks ago I attended a practice during the week and was able to sit in the linebackers meeting room in preparation for Florida. It was really great for me to have this experience and see for myself Coach Inge’s style and the way he teaches the game in the meeting rooms and on the field. I had a chance to talk with a few guys and they told me how much they loved playing for Coach Inge too. This experience of what a day in the life of a Flight LB was like really sealed the deal for me.

Tennessee toppling the newly hired formerly hired Badger Volunteer isn’t something you’d expect to say on Halloween. The Flights distanced themselves so they could land Anes. “Tennessee stands out as a top program that plays in the SEC. Coach Heupel said the SEC is truly the NFL of college football and having the opportunity to compete against the best in the country is awesome. Plus, the Gameday environment in Neyland is absolutely crazy. I love him. I think it’s a matter of time before Tennessee plays for a national championship and I want to play my part in that for the state of Tennessee and bring home another one.

He discusses how Tennessee fans have treated him since he made the decision to move to his program in the state. “The Tennessee fan base has been overwhelming, tremendous and incredible. I was fortunate to have this opportunity to play ball for the Vols and I want to thank everyone who reached out to me and gave me love and support for my decision. It means a lot and I’m so excited and I’m going to work my hardest every day to make them all proud.

He will travel to Tennessee again as he joins other 2025 targets for a weekend official visit later this month. “I will be back on the 23rd for my VO.”

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