Tee Martin talks Tennessee football, son Kaden Martin's MLB Draft prospects

Former Tennessee football quarterback Tee Martin was emotional when he returned to Knoxville on Thursday for the first time since early 2021.

"(Knoxville) was really truly a second home for me," Martin said Friday. "I got a little emotional last night when I rode through my old neighborhood ... because it became home again. It's always good to have a reason to come back and have a good time, and I look forward to doing more in the future."

Martin, who led the Vols to the national championship in 1998, was in Knoxville for Friday's inaugural Tee Off With Tee Martin golf tournament at Avalon Country Club, a charity event with the UT Knoxville Alumni Office. Proceeds from the tournament go toward the Flagship Scholarship program, which covers full tuition for graduates of three local high schools: Austin-East, Fulton and Central.

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After coaching wide receivers at Tennessee from 2019-20 under Jeremy Pruitt, Martin transitioned to the NFL as wide receivers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Martin was one of the few coaches not implicated in the Pruitt staff's recruiting violations, and he said he prefers how straightforward coaching is in the NFL without the added complexity of recruiting.

"I had been all around college for 12 years. Getting the opportunity to come back to Tennessee to coach, we had went through some things, and then I got a breath of fresh air ... with the Ravens organization," Martin said. "It's just all ball. I tell guys all the time, it's like getting a PhD in football, so I'm growing so much in that regard."

However, Martin still keeps up with the college football world and is excited about the future of the Vols after going 7-6 in Josh Heupel's first season.  He has heard high praise for 2023 commitment Nico Iamaleava, a five-star quarterback, from friends who watch Iamaleava on the West Coast.

"It's an exciting time to be involved in Vol athletics ... and football is coming back," Martin said. "I got a chance to watch a lot of Tennessee football last year, and they were fun to watch. That's what I thought was so great last year was the guys enjoyed playing the style of play and the system of play."

Martin is immersed in baseball because of his son Kaden, who was a standout at Knoxville Catholic while his father coached the Vols. Kaden is committed to Miami baseball, but Martin said he may forgo his college career if he is selected  in the MLB Draft in July.

"He's going through the draft process to see how that goes, and then as a family we'll make a decision about college or pro," Martin said. "He just got back from the combine in San Diego and did some great things there. It's a dream of his to play Major League Baseball, so as parents, all you can do is support your child's dreams."

Kaden was a nationally ranked 2022 prospect in both football and baseball, and Martin feels immense pride in watching his son achieve the kind of success he once imagined for himself. Martin said he grew up loving baseball but ultimately had to give it up.

"Baseball was my favorite sport as a kid ... but baseball didn't pay the bills in college, and I chose the sport that did," he said. "Kaden is living the life I wanted to live as a dual-sport athlete and really has an opportunity to write his own script. I'm just happy for him ...and I hope that he does what he wants to do in this moment and lives that."

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tee Martin talks Tennessee football, Kaden Martin MLB draft prospects