Tennessee loses major recruiting target in their own backyard, but it's not a total shocker

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The Vols swung and missed on a top 100 player from Knoxville, and it’s a result they saw coming.

Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols hoped to put the fences around one of the top players in the state of Tennessee and keep him from leaving Knoxville.

Unfortunately for them, things did not play out that way on Monday, and it’s not a shock that they did.

Four-star Knoxville (Halls) safety Jarrell Chandler announced his commitment to Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

Four-star Knoxville safety Jarrell Chandler picks Clemson over Tennessee

Chandler checks in as the No. 91 overall player, No. 6 safety, and No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee for Rivals. He also held offers from Georgia, Indiana, Ole Miss, Florida, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, UNC, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and Missouri, among others.

It’s a tough result for Tennessee, as they appeared to be trending as the favorite earlier this offseason. Chandler had high praise for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his system.

“The new [defensive] staff on defense is legit, they are the hometown team, and I have good relationships with the staff at Tennessee,” he told On3 Sports.

But recently, both Miami and Clemson had been coming on strong for his services, and it was looking more and more like he was going to leave town to play his college ball. And that’s exactly what happened.

It’s a tough loss for Heupel and his staff, but with all things recruiting, it’s about moving on to the next target.

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