Interview: 2017 Tennessee DT Ben Hutch Makes Verbal Commitment to Louisville Public
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Bobby Petrino has made a living in college football as an offensive genius who always finds a way to maximize the talent on his roster. The Cardinals have flirted with having one of the best teams in the nation throughout the year and are hitting the recruiting trail hard to try to ensure the winning ways continue going forward. Brick by brick, recruit by recruit, the Cardinals are laying the foundation for Petrino and company to be one of the elite teams not only in the ACC but in the nation with their 2017 class.
The haul officially got better on Monday when Hillsboro High School’s star defensive tackle Ben Hutch verbally committed to the Cardinals.
Hillsboro fought and clawed their way to a 7-5 mark in 2016 overcoming a 2-4 start gelling midway through the season before Tennessee’s 5A playoffs. The run into the playoffs was stopped in the second round after a tough loss to Independence, but the Burros certainly have nothing to hang their heads about looking back. One of the leaders on the team was Hutch.
Exact stats have not been released for the 2016 season yet, but partial numbers through nine games has the 6-3.5, 310 pound, talent with 28 tackles, 22 solo, four tackles for a loss, and two sacks. Hutch was once again a dominating force in the trenches after a junior season with 40 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and a fumble recovery.
The push from the college level to get the Nashville area product was big. At least 16 programs offered Hutch. Among the many included Tennessee, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Penn State, Nebraska, and Memphis. In early November, Hutch confirmed his Top 3 programs with RNG as Texas A&M, Penn State, and Louisville. Little did we all know, Louisville was already the leader in the clubhouse being a soft commit to the ACC conference member.
In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Hutch shortly after his announcement on Tuesday to get the inside scoop on how Louisville won out over all the other offers.
Interview
Ben, first, congratulations on your commitment.
“Thank you.”
I know you’ve been high on Louisville since this summer, what influenced you to commit to Louisville today?
“The first visit my mom and I got to go on together was to Louisville. Seeing her smile when we were there. She really loves Coach P (Bobby Petrino), Coach (L.D.) Scott (defensive line coach), and Coach K (Chris Klenakis – co-offensive coordinator). She feels like I will be taken care of up there. The school’s education is good too. They have a high ranking in my major. I want to major in communications.”
When did you actually commit to Louisville? Was that today or did you do it ahead of time?
“I’ve been a silent commit for a couple of months, about three months. I just announced it today.”
Why did you announce today?
“I was going to try to get all of my officials in before I announced. I only took one other official (Penn State). I wanted it to be done by December so I went ahead and announced.”
Thinking back, how did the commitment take place?
“I called Coach P one night. I told him that I am ready to be a Cardinal. I had a great visit with my mom. That is always good. The commits opened their arms to me. Today, I just picked the hat out of the bag in front of my school to make it official. My classmates were proud and my mom was proud of me.”
What was the reaction of Coach Petrino when you committed?
“He was happy. I caught him at a down time, they were having a team meeting. He was happy to add me to the class.”
During our last interview you had a Top 3 of Louisville, Texas A&M, and Penn State. What was the difference for Louisville over the Aggies and Nitanny Lions? You mentioned your major and your mom loved the school, was there anything else that nudged you towards the Cardinals?
“Not really, distance was the main thing. My mom would have traveled anywhere. I was not ready to go 14 hours away. I was not ready for that yet. Two hours is not that big of a difference.”
Do you still plan to take your visits during your senior season, other than to Louisville?
“Probably not.”
You have your official with Louisville scheduled for Jan. 22. What are you most excited about for that trip?
“I’m excited to see the new construction on the stadium. It is supposed to be done very soon. I want to meet the rest of the commits. I went when school was not going on. I want to see all the people on campus and around the city.”
Do you plan on recruiting other players to join you?
“Yes, I am trying to get a couple of players. I’m working on it. Before I did not want to give up my undercover status. I was going to wait to get some of the other guys to join.”
Which players are you contacting?
“DeMarco Arits (Sanford, FL), he is committed to Florida State. TreSean (Smith) is trying to get C.J. Avery (Grenada, MS). He decides next week. It is down to Auburn and Louisville. He’s a four-star recruit.”
How is school going?
“Everything is okay with school. I’m working on getting my grades higher and finishing strong.”
Have you started off-season workouts yet?
“No. I am playing basketball to keep my conditioning. I’ll start up the first of next year. I have already lost 10 pounds playing basketball.”
What are you down to now?
“I’m around 310 or a little bit lower.”
Ben, thanks for your time today, and again, congratulations on your announcement today.
“Thank you.”
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Photo credit: Hutch family; Ben Hutch announcement ceremony.