After entering the NCAA transfer portal last week, Andre Torentin You didn’t need to take long to decide on a new home. Soon he realized that he wanted to go home.
The Ohio State Defensive freshman announced Monday morning that he’s committed to Tennessee, giving Fools a former four-star opportunity in the state for a high school promotion. The former teacher at Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, said he heard from more than 40 schools immediately after entering the transfer gate, but it didn’t take long to settle in Tennessee.
“I felt like Tennessee was a perfect fit for me,” Tornin told GoVols247 before publicly announcing his decision. “I checked all the boxes I was looking at, and it felt like home — well, it didn’t feel like home. It’s home.
“I’ve already been there a few times. I’ve been there (with) the old staff, with the old staff, and (and) the old, old, old staff. Nothing new to me. But looking at what Tennessee is doing now, there seems to be Finally some stability there and a promising future and continued productivity there.
“They are getting better every year, and I want to be a part of it. I want to be on board. Of course, it’s too late, and I hope to start my career in Tennessee at home. What better place to do that?”
After delaying Kindergarten last year, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Torntine has four seasons remaining of eligibility. He will join his former teammate at Ensworth Wesley Walkera member of the Georgia Tech team that relocated to Tennessee in March, is on the move to Knoxville after the spring semester.
The Vols was one of Turrentine’s top four picks, along with Alabama and LSU, when he committed to Ohio State’s high school exit. He has now returned to his homeland.
“It feels very, very cool,” he said. “It’s kind of how you want your life to be, how you imagine things, and it’s played that way – not always the way you want it and when you want it. But overall, it was like that.
“It’s crazy to think, almost a year later, of getting a call from my ex-teammates saying there are opportunities out there, there are opportunities and a place where I can’t just play with my teammates, and there’s already a family built halfway there. It’s crazy to think of How quickly all of this happened, and also how much it really affected my life, my family, and myself without me being there.”
The staff of Tennessee coach Josh Hubble, led by Hubble himself and the defense coordinator Tim Banks, explained to Torrentin that he could compete for instant playing time at Falls High, even though he didn’t make much of an impact on the field during his one year at Ohio State. He appeared in three games last year for the Buckeyes without scoring a tackle.
“Guys usually say what you want to hear,” said Torrentin, who ranked #169 in overall predictions and safety #9 in the 2021 class and the fourth player in his class from Tennessee, according to the industry-created 247Sports composite. “They want you to come to their school or they want you to sign up for their program, so they just say what they think, whatever they feel will lead you there.
“But with UT, Coach Heup kept it real with me. He mapped out the vision for me where he saw me fit into the school and where he saw me fit in with his program and his defense—and not only that, his high school and where I fit in with the family, as we would. And he didn’t even have to tell me that for me to feel it. I’ve felt that before.
“In terms of defense, high school and where I fit in, I look forward to coming in and competing for a entry-level job, and Wesley and I are on the same job. We’re coming in and competing for a primary job, playing along and becoming a real problem with the SEC.”
“I feel like all of their positions are interchangeable. Players are recruited and put in there so they can play any position as they see fit, and I know in the past UT didn’t have stability in any safety mode, and secondary players had to switch them and play up to the corner sometimes And based on what Coach Hippie told me and Coach Banks told me, with my skill set I’d be able to play any of those three positions, and I’m willing to play any of those three. As long as I’m on the field, I’m ready to do whatever It takes it.”
Turnin said he thinks he could help a safety position, nickel position, or star position in the Tennessee defense.
“I feel that all of their positions are interchangeable,” He said. “Players are recruited and put there so they can play any position as they see fit, and I know in the past UT didn’t have stability in any safety mode, and secondary players had to switch them up and play up to the corner sometimes.
“And based on what Coach Hippie has told me and Coach Banks has told me, with my skill set, I’ll be able to play any of those three positions, and I’m willing to play any of those three positions. As long as I’m on the field, I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
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