Oakland four-star safety and Tennessee football target Craig Tutt committed to Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin on July 18.
Oakland senior football star Craig Tutt fell in love with Oxford, Mississippi during an official visit in June.
That was a big factor in Tutt's decision to commit to Ole Miss football on July 18.
"I put a lot of thought into this decision," said Tutt, whose final three also included Tennessee and Auburn. "But ultimately I felt like it came down to the players, the coaches, the culture and the city. It's just a great place to be, and it felt like home as soon as I walked in."
The 6-foot, 190-pound four-star safety is ranked by 247Sports Composite as the No. 6 player in Tennessee and No. 22 player nationally at the position.
His SEC offers also include Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Mississippi State, as well as power conference schools Michigan, Penn State, Colorado, Florida State and UCLA, to name a few.
Tutt said the decision between the final three wasn't an easy one. He was heavily recruited by both the Vols and Tigers, even talking with Tennessee coach Josh Heupel a day before he announced his commitment.
"It wasn't necessarily which school was behind who," Tutt said. "I'm not taking anything from the other schools. They're all great programs and great opportunities. I just felt like Ole Miss was the best opportunity and the best decision for me."
Tutt said that NIL offers weren't a factor in his decision.
"NIL doesn't have anything to do with it, for me," said Tutt, who didn't disclose his NIL offers from Ole Miss or the other schools. "I just wanted to make sure it was a place that I would be able to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and say, 'Yeah I'm coming to practice.' Or just being in a place that I want to keep coming back to, and not a place where I'm going for one year and transfer. That was the biggest thing for me."
Ole Miss nickelbacks coach and special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover was the primary recruiter for Tutt, although he also spoke frequently with co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Bryan Brown and safeties coach Wes Neighbors throughout the process.
"Of course, (head coach Lane Kiffin) hit me up with calls and texts, and when I'm down there, he's showing his face a lot," Tutt said.
Tutt has been a starter at safety since his sophomore season at Oakland, recording 64 tackles, an interception, seven pass deflections and two caused fumbles as a junior.
He also became one of the team's top offensive weapons last season. The running back led the team with more than 1,600 total yards and 22 touchdowns in becoming a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist.
Ole Miss went 10-3 last season, defeating Duke 52-20 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
"I feel like Ole Miss is on the uprise," Tutt said. "There's a lot of great dudes coming in, and a lot of great dudes already there. The ones coming in will be something special and I want to be part of that."
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Craig Tutt commits to Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin over Tennessee
Category: General Sports
