JuCo DB Frazier Sees 'Big Opportunity' At Tennessee
Coming out of Cedartown High School (Ga.), Zahquan Frazier only had one offer, which was to go play at Southern Illinois, and he did. Since then, Frazier has transferred to Coffeyville CC in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College, and his opportunities are vastly different. Frazier now holds double-digit Division 1 offers, including offers from major Power Five schools such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Washington, Indiana, Utah, and Mississippi State. He discusses his recruitment and interest in the Vols with Sports Illustrated here.
"It's really kind of new to me," Frazier said about the recruiting process. "Coming out of high school, I only had one offer. So now that it's really kind of going on, it's crazy."
When asked if any of the offers caught him by surprise, it was just the opportunity to come back and play in the nation's toughest conference.
"The SEC," he said. "The SEC offers, that's really the best of the best. Other conferences are good, but they're the top."
So what is it about Frazier's game that has caught the attention of the coaches offering him?
"My length and how I use my hands, along with my patience at the line of scrimmage," Frazier said about the message from the coaches.
It has not been an easy road to get to this point, but Frazier feels it has paid off.
"It helped me because I learned from a lot of good players," Frazier said about his time at Southern Illinois and Coffeyville. "Chad, my guy JT. There were a lot of people that taught me the game. So, when I transferred, I came here. So, I just kind of took it and ran with it."
Tennessee has made it clear they want Frazier as a part of their program, and he hears from a collection of coaches on Rocky Top.
"Really the head coach," Frazier said about who he hears from the most. "He hits me up a lot, along with Coach Banks and Coach Martinez. I talk to them three the most. They check on me and are building a relationship with me.. They text me every day."
While the relationship continues to grow with the coaching staff, it is the opportunity Tennessee presents Frazier with that has caught his attention.
"It's a big opportunity to go to Tennessee," he said. "Because I want to play immediately. That's my mentality. I'm just trying to see where I can play immediately and where they need me at, and go from there."
Outside of Tennessee and the schools to already offer, Frazier admits there are a number of programs hitting him up.
"I can't even lie, it's a handful of them," he laughingly said.
Being a junior college prospect presents its own challenges because he cannot take many visits until his own season ends, but that is not going to deter Frazier from taking his official visits after and making a decision in a cramped amount of time.
"I'm going to do it after my season, and I'm going to enroll in December because that's when I'm graduating," Frazier said about when he would take visits and work towards a decision.
He is unsure of what visits he will take, but he is certain Tennessee will get one of his five official visits before he makes a college decision, and he knows what he will be looking for on those trips.
"The relationship with the coach," Frazier said about what would be the most important. "If I have a good relationship with the coaches, they will go above and beyond for me, if I'm doing the right thing. That's really what I'm looking for. A great fit with a good relationship with the coaching staff."
Whenever he takes those officials and makes a decision, it is pretty simple on what a team will get in his services.
"They're getting a dog."