Greg Emerson breaks down his decision to commit to the Volunteers

JACKSON, Tenn. — North Side defensive lineman Greg Emerson was one of the more highly touted recruits in Tennessee in the class of 2018, attracting schools such as Ohio State and Alabama and so on. But when it came to picking a school to continue his playing career, he said the decision was easy.

“It’s Tennessee. That’s the most simplest answer I can give you,” Emerson said.

Helping lure the four-star defensive end to Knoxville was Trey Smith. The two didn’t know each other prior to the recruiting process, but Emerson now considers Smith family.

“After I met him we sort of just bonded like brothers, so I mean if you look at it in a way, he’s sort of like the big brother I never had,” he said.

With both of them playing in the trenches, Emerson knows a few battles with his brother awaits him.

“He knows I’m not scared, but he knows I’m up for the challenge also,” Emerson said.

He sounds ready to compete, just like his new head coach, Jeremy Pruitt, who coincidentally recruited him to Alabama. Emerson says he would call multiple times a week, but he said that’s not where he wanted to be.

“I’d rather be the underdog than being the winner all the time,” he said.

Now the two will get to work together once Emerson makes it official next week. He said the process to get to this point was long but worth it for him and his family.

“We don’t have to worry about that No. 1 decision, which is who’s going to be paying for school. I think that’s a big stress reliever for me and my momma,” Emerson said.

Emerson will sign his National Letter of Intent Dec. 20 and then head off to Knoxville the first week in January.