4-star Simeon Caldwell talks Tennessee visit, time spent with William Inge and Tim Banks

2026 Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles School standout Simeon Caldwell has turned into one of the most highly sought-after young defenders in the country over the past year. On Monday, he was at Tennessee and recapped his visit with Volquest.

“I liked everything today,” Caldwell said of his thoughts on the trip. ” I got to talk with Coach Banks and Coach Inge. We were able to catch up and get to know each other. I was able to watch practice, tour the facilities, and just build a good relationship with them. It was a great overall visit.”

Caldwell was joined on the visit by his mother, Sue (Walton) Caldwell, who is a member of the 2011 Lady Vol Hall of Fame Class, as she was a highly successful track and field runner at Tennessee.

“It is great to have her here with me,” Caldwell said of this. “She was telling me about different places when we were driving around last night, and how it was bringing nostalgia back for her, so it was really good to have her with me. It feels like home for her, and she instilled some of that in me. It was great being back here.”

“It doesn’t always change it, but it is just really good to know that it is a good school that mom completely trusts,” Caldwell added on how much it helped knowing that his mother went to school at Tennessee. “It is not a huge factor, but it plays a part in it for sure.”

During the visit, Caldwell enjoyed the time he spent with Tim Banks and William Inge.

“I like how they are really down-to-earth people,” Caldwell said. “They are smart people. We talked some ball, and they let me know how I can develop. It was great to be around them and know they are not just good coaches, but they are good people off the field also. I could see myself being around them and being around the community they have built.”

Tennessee’s message to Caldwell on how he fits into their system also caught his attention, as he has continued to hear more about playing linebacker as opposed to safety from several schools recently.

“Coach Banks was telling me how he sees me as the Mike and Will linebacker in their system,” he said of this. “He likes my versatility and that I can play the Mike position with the toughness and also play the Will position in his scheme because of my speed.”

The time he was able to spend watching Tennessee on the practice field also caught his attention.

“They are all mentally locked in all the time,” Caldwell said of practice. “Everyone is giving one hundred percent into the system. Every rep isn’t a full-speed rep, but every rep is a one hundred percent mental rep for everybody. You can see the older guys teaching the younger guys if they mess. You see the coaches coaching everyone up. Everyone is involved in everything.”

Coming out of the visit, Caldwell is already planning to return to Knoxville sooner than later, and he holds the Vols in high regard early in his process.

“Tennessee is definitely in a really good spot for me,” Caldwell said of this. “I don’t have a top list or anything and am not narrowing anything down just yet because I am still going through the process, but they are definitely up there in the mix.”

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