Brenden Anes Explains His Decision To Flip To Tennessee

Brenden Anes details his decision to flip from Wisconsin to Tennessee.

Caleb Sisk | 3 Hours Ago

Brenden Anes on his visit to Wisconsin / Brenden Anes

In this story:

Tennessee Volunteers

Back on Halloween, the Vols landed two commitments. One of the commitments they landed was a flip from Wisconsin. That flip came as Brenden Anes flipped to Tennessee.

Anes is an in-state commit from Page High School. The three-star linebacker caught up with Tennessee on SI to later detail his decision and thought process.

“There are many reasons why I chose to commit to Tennessee. One major factor was the opportunity to stay home and be close to my family. Giving my family the opportunity to be able to come to support me at all my home games and throughout my college career was a very big deal to me. Also, Coach Inge and Coach Heupel are awesome. They recruited me over the last year really well and I’ve grown to really respect and like them a lot. One of the things that Coach Heupel kept telling me was how great of a Linebacker coach and teacher Coach Inge is. A few weeks ago I attended a practice during the week and was able to sit in the linebackers meeting room in prep for Florida. It was really great for me to have that experience and see firsthand Coach Inge’s style and how he teaches the game in the meeting rooms and on the field. I had the chance to talk with a couple of guys and they told me how much they like playing for Coach Inge as well. That experience of what a day in the life of a Vol LB was like really sealed the deal for me.”

Tennessee flipping the newly committed Volunteer from the formerly committed Badger isn’t something you would’ve expected to say on Halloween. The Vols distanced themself to be able to land Anes. “Tennessee separates themselves by being a top-notch program that plays in the SEC. Coach Heupel has said that the SEC is really the NFL of college football and having the opportunity to go head-to-head with the best in the country is awesome. Also, the Gameday environment at Neyland is absolutely crazy. I love it. I think it’s a matter of time before Tennessee is playing for a National Championship and I want to play my part in that for the state of Tennessee and bring another one home.”

He explains how Tennessee fans have treated him since making his decision to flip to his in-state program. “The Tennessee fan base has been overwhelming, great, and amazing. I’ve been blessed with this opportunity to play ball for the Vols and I want to thank everyone who’s reached out and extended love and support of my decision. It means a lot and I’m so excited and will work my bit off every day to make them all proud.”

He will be attending Tennessee yet again as he will be joining fellow 2025 targets for an official visit weekend later this month. “I’ll be back on the 23rd for my OV.”