Jonathan Kongbo provided a significant portion of Tennessee’s drama on National Signing Day before ultimately signing with the Vols on Wednesday afternoon.

Four-star defensive end Jonathan Kongbo of Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz., who signed with Tennessee on Wednesday, is ranked the nation's No. 1 junior-college prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

In his mind, though, his decision wasn’t all that difficult.

The four-star defensive end from Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz., said he “knew where I wanted to go” in the hours leading up to his final decision, but he had to “explain” to his parents why he wanted to sign with Tennessee before submitting his signed National Letter of Intent.

“It’s the place I felt best would help me reach my goals,” said Kongbo, who’s ranked the nation’s No. 1 junior-college prospect in the 247Sports Composite for the 2016 class. “I had a great relationship with (defensive coordinator Bob) Shoop, (defensive line) coach (Steve) Stripling, Coach G (running backs coach Robert Gillespie), (head) coach (Butch) Jones.

“They were just a coaching staff I felt very comfortable with, and I kind of believe in their dream — the program they have, the direction they want Tennessee to go.

“I knew where I wanted to go. I mean, all day I knew where I wanted to go. It wasn’t that hard at all.”

Tennessee and Ole Miss were believed to be the favorites to land the 6-foot-5.5, 264-pound Kongbo, who decommitted from the Vols less than a month before signing day. But he said USC finished second to Tennessee, followed by Florida State.

“Second was, I’d say, USC, and then Florida State,” Kongbo said. “Ole Miss was a good school, and I had a good time on my visit there. But, at the end of the day, I just thought it wasn’t going to be the best fit for me.”

Kongbo acknowledged that he did have to talk with his parents about his desire to play for the Vols before finalizing his decision.

“We were just talking about it,” he said. “I guess they wanted me to kind of explain to them why I wanted it. But things worked out. They were supportive of the decision. We had everything sorted out.”

When Kongbo parted ways with Tennessee on Jan. 5, a little more than a month after he committed to the Vols during his official visit to Knoxville, he admitted he didn’t “really” envision himself signing with Tennessee.

“I guess, when I decommitted, they just stuck with me,” he said. “I guess it says a lot about the coaching staff. I thought at the end of the day that was the place where I was needed the most.

“They just picked up their recruitment. They kind of recruited me a little harder, and they really talked to me every day.”

Kongbo said he also had a “better relationship” with players at Tennessee —Â including linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, defensive end Derek Barnett and running back Alvin Kamara —Â than he did with players at other schools, and he talked with some of the Vols’ players in the days and hours before he signed with the Vols.

“I talked to Jalen. I talked to Barnett, to Alvin,” Kongbo said. “They just said I can contribute a lot and help the team out. We talked quite often. I talked with Alvin quite often. I also talk to Barnett, just going through everything. He was telling me how it’s like going to Tennessee and all that. We talked a lot.”

He also credited Tennessee’s coaches for being “patient with me.”

“They understood that it’s a hard process making a decision,” Kongbo said, “so they just stuck with me.”

While some teams have envisioned Kongbo developing into a defensive tackle at the next level, Kongbo said the Vols only have discussed playing him at defensive end.

“I guess, with other schools, I’m 260 without really a good meal plan or nothing, so they thought I could probably put on 30, 40 pounds,” he said. “But Tennessee likes me where I’m at right now, so they’re going to stick me at end. That’s definitely where I feel more comfortable at. I can definitely play both, if needed. But I feel better at end.”

Kongbo said he knew after his official visit to Florida State last weekend that he wanted to sign with the Vols, in large part because of the opportunity to be a part of “the resurgence of Tennessee.”

“Once I took all my visits, I kind of evaluated everything, and I figured that Tennessee has the most to offer me,” he said.

“I guess, really, it was just the opportunity Tennessee had to offer me. They haven’t won in a while, so it’d be nice to be a contributing factor to the resurgence of Tennessee. That’s kind of the biggest thing that turned me on to Tennessee. I believe they’re on the verge of something big.”

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