Mack Brown's connection to Tennessee played a part in Eli Sutton's decision to commit to North Carolina

Eli Sutton built an instant connection with North Carolina football coach Mack Brown when the Brentwood Academy junior offensive tackle visited the college campus in January.

They talked about life in Tennessee and about Brown's hometown of Cookeville. They talked about Tennessee Tech, the site for the TSSAA football state championships, and about Brown's brother Watson Brown.

"We talked about Tech and how the state championships are there now," said Sutton, who committed to the Tar Heels last month. "We talked about his brother, who used to coach at Tennessee Tech, and all of the memories he had from living there."

Sutton stays in communication with North Carolina coaches almost daily as the Tar Heels work to maintain their 12 college commitments for the Class of 2021. The ACC school currently has the No. 3 recruiting class for 2021, according to 247Sports, trailing Ohio State and Clemson.

Sutton, who is the No. 4 prospect in Tennessee for the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite, is the No. 21 offensive tackle in the country and No. 168 overall prospect in the country.

He is one of 10 four-star commitments for the Tar Heels' 2021 recruiting class.

"A lot of times we'll jump on FaceTime for 20 minutes and check in, check in with the family and see how everyone is doing," Sutton said. "I like having face-to-face conversations. I'd rather have that or just talk on the phone."

Sutton, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound athlete, chose North Carolina over Miami (Florida) and Georgia Tech.

"I've been to a lot of places, and even though I went to North Carolina once, it just felt different and a true home," Sutton said. "I know it sounds crazy because a lot of people go to a place three or four times."

Sutton said he still receives text messages from other coaches, but he doesn't respond to many of them.

"In my eyes, being a commitment is really like being engaged to somebody," Sutton said. "Why would you want to entertain other people while you are engaged to somebody else?"

Like other athletes around the country, Sutton is limited on where he can work out with the closure of schools. He typically works out with his dad in their driveway. His dad is a strength and conditioning coordinator at Brentwood Academy.

"We're just doing driveway workouts for the next month and a half," Sutton said. "That's how it was back in the day."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.