Former Vols assistant Brian Niedermeyer tells his 'awkward' story of recruiting Henry To'o To'o to Tennessee

Former Tennessee Vols linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer was among the UT football assistants who were fired at the end of the 2020 season due to the Jeremy Pruitt recruiting scandal. 

Niedermeyer was implicated heavily in the scandal. 

Prior to getting fired by the Vols, Niedermeyer was viewed as one of Tennessee's top recruiters. One of the elite recruits he helped the Vols land was four-star linebacker Henry To'o To'o, who now plays in the NFL for the Houston Texans. 

To'o To'o, who transferred to Alabama after spending two seasons at Tennessee, signed with the Vols in early 2019 despite a late push from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. 

Last year, Niedermeyer joined the Mach 10 Sports podcast and he told his "awkward" story about recruiting To'o To'o. 

"I'll tell you another good one, I went and recruited Henry To'o To'o," said Niedermeyer. "I went to recruit him and he's LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). And so I went to his church and everybody in there was Polynesian and they were speaking Tongan. I went in, and obviously I don't speak Tongan, they put the headset on me, they were translating."

"The whole time, the Bishop, his whole sermon was about serving God and going on a mission," continued Niedermeyer. "And anybody trying to stop you from going on a mission was not doing right by God. I'm sitting there and I'm like 'that's wild'. And then I realize he was talking about me the whole time. I was like 'oh man, this is awkward'. About halfway through I was like 'they're talking about me'."

"I'm in a Tennessee pullover and I'm in some khakis and I'm sitting there like 'oh this isn't good'. But they were all great people, super nice. And he ends up coming to Tennessee."

College football coaches end up in a diverse array of situations while on the recruiting trail. The ability to adapt and genuinely connect with players/families from a myriad of different backgrounds is a big part of what makes a great recruiter. 

Niedermeyer got the job done in To'o To'o's recruitment. But that was just the beginning of the story. To'o To'o later transferred to Alabama after his father called signing with Tennessee a mistake.