Tanner Antonutti Interview with Palmer Thombs

Palmer Thombs: I’m Palmer Thombs with D1Highlights alongside Tanner Antonutti of Ensworth High School, a recent Tennessee Volunteers commit. Tanner, will you tell me about your high school career so far?

Tanner Antonutti: It has been a nice career so far at Ensworth. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to play at Ensworth. It has been pretty fun, but it has been a struggle since freshman year trying to get a State Championship. Hopefully this year we can pull one out.

 

D1H: What adjustments did you have to make when you shifted from tight end to offensive line midway through the year?

TA: I had to learn more technique and more defenses. It became more of a complicated position. Mainly I had to figure out who I was playing next to and what our assignment was.

 

D1H: And when you switched back?

TA: I just had to get back in the groove of things since I had played tight end before that. It wasn’t too big of a deal.

 

D1H: When did you receive your first offer?

TA: In May at the end of my sophomore year from Austin Peay.

 

D1H: Other than your commitment to Tennessee, what was the highlight of the recruiting process?

TA: I really enjoyed going around and seeing all the big schools and what they had to offer. Also, meeting the coaching staffs that they had to offer was fun. Really, it was about seeing what the schools had to offer for my family and everyone else that was big in my recruiting process.

 

D1H: Ultimately, why did you decide on Tennessee?

TA: I wanted to stay home. I have been a Tennessee fan my whole entire life and I just couldn’t beat the opportunity of living out my dream at UT.

 

D1H: Was there any reasoning behind committing before your senior season at Ensworth?

TA: I wanted to take the recruiting pressure off before getting into the season so that I didn’t have any distractions and I could be ready for the season.

 

D1H: What sorts of offseason training did you do personally and as a team to prepare for the season?

TA:  Personally, I had to do a lot of physical therapy to get back from my various surgeries. I had to get my shoulder and ankle back in good condition. As a team, we grinded through two-a-days and early morning workouts because we know we need to be in good shape with only forty-one people on the roster.

 

D1H: For your team, how has the preseason been?

TA: It has been going pretty well. It’s been a lot of conditioning to stay in shape with the small number on the roster. We know that we are going to have to tough it out all season long. In the Hillsboro scrimmage on Tuesday night, we did pretty well. There were a lot of technique stuff that we need to fix and different defenses that we need to work on.

 

D1H: What are your team goals for the season?

TA: Mainly getting to the State Championship and hopefully, pulling one out for our senior year.

At 6’5” 260 lbs, Antonutti should have a substantial impact on the Ensworth season, playing some at offensive line, tight end, and defensive end. The Tigers open their season Friday, August 18th at home against the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs.