Tennessee football wide receiver Bru McCoy announced Jan. 2 that he’d return to the Vols for the 2024 season.

But he said he knew what he’d do three weeks earlier at the bedside of his dying grandfather.

“When he was in hospice care, the family was flown home (in California) and we’re all taking our turns taking care of him,” McCoy said on WNML 99.1 The Sports Animal on Wednesday.

“It was my turn to go in and say my peace. He had a Tennessee blanket draped over the bed. … But before he passed, he spoke so highly about Tennessee and my time here. It was like God made the decision for me and he placed it in front of me.”

McCoy suffered a gruesome ankle injury against South Carolina on Sept. 30. He underwent four surgeries and spent 10 days in the hospital to repair a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle.

It ended his 2023 season and presumably his UT career, if he opted to enter the 2024 NFL Draft

Instead, McCoy will utilize his extra year of eligibility to play one more season with the Vols. He said his final visits with his grandfather, who died in December, sealed his decision.

“I didn’t decide for another three weeks after (his death),” McCoy said. “But I knew in my heart that this place is special to me. It’s home. It’s family. Just like I’m home with family now. So that was the day I decided.”