Just talked to Ben Knutson, who was driving back to Virginia from New Orleans after taking official visit over the weekend and tweeting his decision to transfer to Tulane.
I never say never, but this choice is almost 100 percent certain to stick. Yes, Bailey Granier reneged on his initial choice to transfer from Vandy to Tulane last year, but it will not happen with Knutson, whose sister graduated from Tulane in 2013. I never was able to reach Granier after his initial decision to come to Tulane. Knutson responded right away, and his enthusiasm was evident. After he graduates from UVA in May, he will head to New Orleans.
Where are you?
"I'm on the road right now. I'm almost back (to Charlottsville)."
When you announced you were transferring from Virginia, one of your statements was you were looking 40 years down the road, which dovetails with what Tulane coach Willie Fritz preaches about academics at Tulane. Did you have a feeling you would end up at Tulane then, and how did your thought process go?
"For me, part of the background is I was actually born and raised in Slidell, Louisiana. We moved when I was like, 5, really young, and then my sister went to Tulane, so I've always kind of known what Tulane was about. That kind of helped in the process. I knew what it was academically. They didn't have to sell me on that at all. I talked ball with (new offensive coordinator ) coach (Will) Hall and (new offensive line coach (Cody) Kennedy. That's what really helped. It's obviously a great place to be as well. Just for me it's a place where I know I'm going to be able to come in and help right away and help for two years. It's a program on the rise and they have a lot of guys coming back next year, and that's really exciting for me as well.
"I talked to a few schools all over the country, but honestly I've always been intrigued about going back to New Orleans. That was one of the big draws for me as well."
If you left Slidell when you were 5, what memories do you have?
"I don't have much. Most of my memories were when we'd go visit my sister when she was at Tulane. For spring breaks we'd go down and stay in Biloxi and then go back and forth and visit her at Tulane. That was always family memories, and I've been to New Orleans probably five or six times since we moved away. Having a sister go there definitely helped, but I've been in and out for other reasons."
When did she graduate?
"She graduated in 2013 and is currently a medical doctor in her residency in Hazard, Kentucky right now. (her name is Allyson)."
You didn't play a whole lot at guard this past season at Virginia, with the school bio listing you as primarily a special teams player. What was the hangup, and did you feel like you should have been playing more?
"For me a lot of it was just the older guys. I got time playing as well, but at guard we had seniors (senior Jake Fieler started all 12 regular season games at right guard and redshirt junior R.J. Proctor started the last seven games at left guard, although true sophomore Chris Glaser started the first six games; Proctor, too, is transferring for his final year of eligibility, announcing his decision 11 days before Knutson). I was hemmed in a little bit there as well. I did play a lot of special teams and I've got the two starts from my redshirt freshman year (right guard) as well. I've had a lot of time. This year it was a lot of special teams but I also played quite a bit at guard as well."
Do you expect to stay at guard at Tulane or can you play tackle. How do you see yourself fitting in?
"A lot of that has to do with how spring ball goes. Having a new offensive line coach and a new offensive coordinator, they've got to come in and see all the personnel that they have. I basically told them I'm open to doing both and they can put me wherever they need me. My role there I think should be as flexible as possible. That's what I'm going for."
What are your best strengths?
"I've come from a different type of system. We ran the ball quite a bit and we've always done a good job running the ball here at Virginia. I think that I can definitely bring something in terms of run blocking whether it is at the tackle or the guard position. And then also, here at Virginia I've had three grad transfers come in that I played with, and they've all contributed in positive ways with not only success on the field but fitting into the culture in the offensive line room, and I think I can contribute that as well."
How are you on course to graduate in three years? It took my four-and-a-half years to graduate from the University of Florida and I did not play a sport.
"As far as graduating as quickly as I'm doing at Virginia, it definitely helps to take summer classes as you have to playing football, but time management is crucial. I will be graduating in May and I will be there for summer workouts. At Tulane I'm going to study business. I'm going to get my MBA at the Freeman School."
Was Tulane the only school you took an official visit to?
"It was the only one. It was one of the schools, when I first said I was going to transfer, it was one of the schools that if they contacted me would be at the top of the list, and Tulane was one of them. That's why it made sense. Everything made sense."
What were your impressions of Will Hall and Cody Kennedy?
"Both coach Hall and coach Kennedy are going to bring some fresh ideas to the offense and really help invigorate the offense. They have a lot of guys coming back but I think the offense is going to have a great year next year. Coach Kennedy, with his experience working with the Georgia offensive line, one of the best in the country last year, he can bring a lot of experience, and then obviously they worked together in the past at West Georgia. That's important, too. There's cohesion between those two. They are on the same page."
Are you excited about what you are stepping into on offense?
"Definitely. Everything is looking really exciting. Coach (Willie) Fritz is always going to have great special teams and he has a great defense at Tulane. I think they found some key pieces to the puzzle that are really going to make a difference and help them get over the next step and really be a contender in the American."
Who did you meet on your visit?
"I met Christian Montano, the transfer from Brown. I also spent a lot of time with Corey Dublin, and then I also met Hunter (Knighton), who graduated. He's leaving, but he was able to kind of speak to the grad transfer side and help me understand how that process works. It was great. They were definitely a big help."
Do you expect to be a starter? What do you expect your role to be?
"Well I definitely expect to come in and contribute. I don't think they would bring me in if I weren't going to come in and definitely be a main contributor for the offensive line. Obviously I've got to go and do my part. I can't just not work at all. I have to be even better, and I won't have the advantage of spring ball, but at the same time I think they are bringing me with the intention that I am going to play right away. They wouldn't bring me in if they didn't think that as well."
How many times did your family move after leaving Slidell?
"We moved to Northern Indiana and I stayed there through high school. It is South Bend. That's what I call my hometown."
I never say never, but this choice is almost 100 percent certain to stick. Yes, Bailey Granier reneged on his initial choice to transfer from Vandy to Tulane last year, but it will not happen with Knutson, whose sister graduated from Tulane in 2013. I never was able to reach Granier after his initial decision to come to Tulane. Knutson responded right away, and his enthusiasm was evident. After he graduates from UVA in May, he will head to New Orleans.
Where are you?
"I'm on the road right now. I'm almost back (to Charlottsville)."
When you announced you were transferring from Virginia, one of your statements was you were looking 40 years down the road, which dovetails with what Tulane coach Willie Fritz preaches about academics at Tulane. Did you have a feeling you would end up at Tulane then, and how did your thought process go?
"For me, part of the background is I was actually born and raised in Slidell, Louisiana. We moved when I was like, 5, really young, and then my sister went to Tulane, so I've always kind of known what Tulane was about. That kind of helped in the process. I knew what it was academically. They didn't have to sell me on that at all. I talked ball with (new offensive coordinator ) coach (Will) Hall and (new offensive line coach (Cody) Kennedy. That's what really helped. It's obviously a great place to be as well. Just for me it's a place where I know I'm going to be able to come in and help right away and help for two years. It's a program on the rise and they have a lot of guys coming back next year, and that's really exciting for me as well.
"I talked to a few schools all over the country, but honestly I've always been intrigued about going back to New Orleans. That was one of the big draws for me as well."
If you left Slidell when you were 5, what memories do you have?
"I don't have much. Most of my memories were when we'd go visit my sister when she was at Tulane. For spring breaks we'd go down and stay in Biloxi and then go back and forth and visit her at Tulane. That was always family memories, and I've been to New Orleans probably five or six times since we moved away. Having a sister go there definitely helped, but I've been in and out for other reasons."
When did she graduate?
"She graduated in 2013 and is currently a medical doctor in her residency in Hazard, Kentucky right now. (her name is Allyson)."
You didn't play a whole lot at guard this past season at Virginia, with the school bio listing you as primarily a special teams player. What was the hangup, and did you feel like you should have been playing more?
"For me a lot of it was just the older guys. I got time playing as well, but at guard we had seniors (senior Jake Fieler started all 12 regular season games at right guard and redshirt junior R.J. Proctor started the last seven games at left guard, although true sophomore Chris Glaser started the first six games; Proctor, too, is transferring for his final year of eligibility, announcing his decision 11 days before Knutson). I was hemmed in a little bit there as well. I did play a lot of special teams and I've got the two starts from my redshirt freshman year (right guard) as well. I've had a lot of time. This year it was a lot of special teams but I also played quite a bit at guard as well."
Do you expect to stay at guard at Tulane or can you play tackle. How do you see yourself fitting in?
"A lot of that has to do with how spring ball goes. Having a new offensive line coach and a new offensive coordinator, they've got to come in and see all the personnel that they have. I basically told them I'm open to doing both and they can put me wherever they need me. My role there I think should be as flexible as possible. That's what I'm going for."
What are your best strengths?
"I've come from a different type of system. We ran the ball quite a bit and we've always done a good job running the ball here at Virginia. I think that I can definitely bring something in terms of run blocking whether it is at the tackle or the guard position. And then also, here at Virginia I've had three grad transfers come in that I played with, and they've all contributed in positive ways with not only success on the field but fitting into the culture in the offensive line room, and I think I can contribute that as well."
How are you on course to graduate in three years? It took my four-and-a-half years to graduate from the University of Florida and I did not play a sport.
"As far as graduating as quickly as I'm doing at Virginia, it definitely helps to take summer classes as you have to playing football, but time management is crucial. I will be graduating in May and I will be there for summer workouts. At Tulane I'm going to study business. I'm going to get my MBA at the Freeman School."
Was Tulane the only school you took an official visit to?
"It was the only one. It was one of the schools, when I first said I was going to transfer, it was one of the schools that if they contacted me would be at the top of the list, and Tulane was one of them. That's why it made sense. Everything made sense."
What were your impressions of Will Hall and Cody Kennedy?
"Both coach Hall and coach Kennedy are going to bring some fresh ideas to the offense and really help invigorate the offense. They have a lot of guys coming back but I think the offense is going to have a great year next year. Coach Kennedy, with his experience working with the Georgia offensive line, one of the best in the country last year, he can bring a lot of experience, and then obviously they worked together in the past at West Georgia. That's important, too. There's cohesion between those two. They are on the same page."
Are you excited about what you are stepping into on offense?
"Definitely. Everything is looking really exciting. Coach (Willie) Fritz is always going to have great special teams and he has a great defense at Tulane. I think they found some key pieces to the puzzle that are really going to make a difference and help them get over the next step and really be a contender in the American."
Who did you meet on your visit?
"I met Christian Montano, the transfer from Brown. I also spent a lot of time with Corey Dublin, and then I also met Hunter (Knighton), who graduated. He's leaving, but he was able to kind of speak to the grad transfer side and help me understand how that process works. It was great. They were definitely a big help."
Do you expect to be a starter? What do you expect your role to be?
"Well I definitely expect to come in and contribute. I don't think they would bring me in if I weren't going to come in and definitely be a main contributor for the offensive line. Obviously I've got to go and do my part. I can't just not work at all. I have to be even better, and I won't have the advantage of spring ball, but at the same time I think they are bringing me with the intention that I am going to play right away. They wouldn't bring me in if they didn't think that as well."
How many times did your family move after leaving Slidell?
"We moved to Northern Indiana and I stayed there through high school. It is South Bend. That's what I call my hometown."