Tennessee's new assistant who came with Jim Knowles is proving to be a recruiting ace

Who you hire matters. When it comes to the Tennessee Volunteers, Josh Heupel has a knack for surrounding himself with elite assistants. His greatest disciple now leads Auburn in Alex Golesh. While Tim Banks did not have a good season last year, he was sensational in 2024. He is now at Auburn with Golesh. With Heupel hiring Jim Knowles, he has brought with him Anthony Poindexter as an assistant.

Together, they all played a part in three-star Brandon Leavell choosing Tennessee among his finalists.

• Clemson Tigers
• Florida Gators
• Florida State Seminoles
• North Carolina State Wolfpack
• Tennessee Volunteers

Leavell committed to Tennessee out of Madison on Monday night, citing that he is home in Knoxville.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Leavell is the No. 28 player from Tennessee, the No. 44 athlete in his class, and the No. 604 prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle. While he did have 24 official offers, Tennessee always seemed to be at the forefront of his commitment. It helps that Tennessee's new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach was his primary recruiter to UTK.

Matt Ray of Volquest expressed how crucial Poindexter was in securing Leavell's commitment.

"Anthony Poindexter, huge in this recruitment. Leavell told me multiple times throughout the process that Poindexter really did a good job of just making him and his family feel comfortable. He answered a lot of his questions. Tennessee checked on Leavell throughout the contact period, and they've continued to reiterate that he was a priority."

Here is Ray breaking down everything else you need to know about Leavell committing to the Vols.

As we get into the heart of commitment season, look for more players to join Leavell at Tennessee.

Anthony Poindexter proving to be an ace in the hole for Vols recruitment

When it comes to Leavell, level of competition was a bit of a concern. He might be somewhat of a position-less player coming out of the Christian private school ranks. However, Tennessee sees a guy with tremendous athleticism who could become something special at the next level. It shall be up to Knowles, Poindexter, and the rest of Heupel's staff to get the most out of Leavell's undeniable talent.

For as strong of a head coach as Heupel has been, he does favor the other side of the ball from what Leavell will likely play at the college level. Even though Knowles comes in as one of the most trusted defensive coordinators in the game today, his defense does take time for it to set root and blossom. It bloomed magnificently at Ohio State and Oklahoma State previously, but not really with Penn State...

It is why Poindexter might have played an even bigger role in Leavell's recruitment. He may very well end up being his position coach. His family had questions, and Poindexter had answers. For him to only overlap with Knowles for one year in State College speaks volumes. He has put his trust and faith in his coaching career into a defensive mind who was not great at his previous place of employment...

Having other assistants besides coordinators win for you in recruitment is massive for a head coach.

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