The staff hosted a significant recruiting weekend emphasizing the trenches as Middle Tennessee faced off against archrival Western Kentucky in another episode of the 100 Miles of Hate rivalry. One of the visitors, Etison 'Polo' Pholo, has been on the Blue Raiders' radar since transferring to in-state power McCallie this offseason.

After he took in the gameday atmosphere, he caught up with GoMiddle.

After seeing the program a couple of times recently, he has seen up close the direction that these athletic programs are headed with new facilities and investment.

"I can see that MTSU is committed to their athletes; they make sure that everything is going good."

He says that extends to the coaching staff as well. He has connected with defensive line coach Vernon Hargreaves and likes the energy he has brought to the position room so far.

"Coach Hargreaves is real with me. He’s been very honest with me on my last visit. I also like his urgency and energy that he has with his defensive line," he told GoMiddle.

Pholo has had an interesting journey to Tennessee. Originally from Canada, he began his high school career at Clearwater Academy International in Florida. However, this summer, the school's program shut down, putting multiple recruits in the position of looking for somewhere new to play. That place for Pholo would be McCallie in Chattanooga, as they have been known to have success with Canadian transfers.

Now, with him inside the state, he has been a fixture on the radars of some in-state programs that are monitoring his senior season. He boasts of an offer from UTC and is constantly hearing from Middle Tennessee and Tennessee Tech.

"They’ve told me that my junior film looks good and that they would stay in contact," he said on MTSU.