Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins announced on Twitter on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, that he is re-opening his recruitment for basketball and football. Above, Higgins (5) makes a catch during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
Note: This story was last updated at 1:06 p.m.
Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins announced on Twitter on Thursday that he is re-opening his recruitment for basketball and football.
Higgins, who received a Mr. Football award in November, had announced in August that he had officially committed to play football at the University of Tennessee.
In his Twitter post on Thursday, Higgins said he has spent a lot of time thinking and talking to his mother and coaches about the decision.
“I’ve been thinking for a long time about this, and I’ve finally decided that I will be re-opening my recruitment for basketball and football,” the 6-foot-5 junior said. “Tennessee is not out of the conclusion, and I consider them a priority. But for me to make the best decision and eliminate questions later, I have to look at other opportunities.”
Higgins said he is not commenting anymore for now, and he asked for no interviews.
Higgins has been a star player in both football and basketball for the past few years. He played as a freshman in the 2014 state basketball tournament, when the Oak Ridge Wildcats finished as state runner-up.
Higgins has been heavily recruited. UT Volunteers Football Coach Butch Jones and Wide Receivers Coach Zach Azzanni visited Wildcat Arena during a basketball game on Friday, January 29. Several Oak Ridge coaches pointed out that the Friday night visit to Oak Ridge High School occurred while official visits were happening on the UT campus in Knoxville. That showed that UT has a strong interest in having Higgins play for the Volunteers, the fans said.
Jones and Azzanni also attended a football game in the fall.
In August, Oak Ridge Today reported that Higgins chose the Volunteers over scholarship offers from more than a dozen other teams, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss. He has been highly ranked in the Class of 2017 by both 247Sports and Scout.com.
Other coaches who have visited Oak Ridge High School recently include Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney, UT basketball coach Rick Barnes, and LSU Wide Receivers Coach Tony Ball.
Higgins had 46 catches for 841 yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2015 football season. He was named the most valuable player at the 17th Annual Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament in November.
See Higgins’ Thursday announcement below. You can also view it on his Twitter account.
It was a tough decision… pic.twitter.com/mCwiBJdevk
— Tee Higgins® (@teehiggins5) February 5, 2016
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins announced on Twitter on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, that he is re-opening his recruitment for basketball and football. Above, Higgins (5) celebrates his first touchdown catch for the Oak Ridge Wildcats in the 2015 season against the Clinton Dragons on Friday, Aug. 21. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) scored 25 points for the Wildcats in a double-overtime 87-85 quarterfinal loss to David Crockett in the 2015 Arby’s Classic basketball tournament in Bristol on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015. (Photo by Allen Greene / TriCitiesSports.com)
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Sam Hopwood says
A wise decision, coming on the heels of a weekend visit to Clemson. I hope he has some good advisers who have his well being at heart and not a particular college. He has a year to make a final choice. Good luck!!
johnhuotari says
I agree, and the sports fans I’ve talked to do as well. I’m not an expert on sports recruiting, but it seems it’s better to investigate the options now than to possibly regret a decision later.
Peter Scheffler says
It would be great to have him at UT, but he should do what is best for his future and not feel that he has to please all this area’s UT fans. I do some volunteer college admissions work for my alma mater, and I think it’s a good idea for the student at least to consider going out of state to college.