Where Tennessee football sits in recruiting rankings ahead of signing day
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Coach Josh Heupel hopes to land his highest ranked Tennessee football recruiting class on signing day 2025.
Five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon and five-star receiver Tristen Keys are the centerpieces of this top-10 class, but there’s plenty of talent and depth beyond them.
Here’s how the 2026 recruiting class looks with the early signing period beginning on Dec. 3.
Tennessee football recruiting rankings
Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class ranks No. 8 nationally in the 247Sports Composite and fourth in the SEC. It trails only Georgia, Alabama and Texas in the conference rankings.
If the Vols can hold these commitments, Heupel could have his highest ranked signing class as a head coach.
At Tennessee, his classes ranked No. 17 in 2022, No. 10 in 2023, No. 14 in 2024 and No. 11 in 2025 in 247Sports Composite. At UCF, his classes were ranked No. 62 in 2018, No. 60 in 2019, No. 75 in 2020 and No. 58 in 2021 before taking the Vols coaching job.
Tennessee football recruiting target before signing day 2025
Tennessee is looking to add a defensive lineman or two before signing day.
Four-star edge rusher Jordan Carter decommitted from Texas A&M. He’s considering Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. The 6-3, 245-pounder is from Douglasville, Georgia.
Carter is ranked the No. 23 edge rusher and No. 203 player overall in the 247Sports Composite.
Four-star defensive lineman Carter Gooden is committed to UCLA, which has undergone a coaching search. Gooden is keeping his options open, visiting Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the past two weekends. UCLA is hiring James Madison coach Bob Chesney, so Gooden must decide whether to keep him commitment to the Bruins.
Gooden is a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder from Marion, Massachusetts. He is ranked the No. 17 edge rusher and No. 147 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. He likely would play strongside defensive end for the Vols if they land him.
Three-star junior college transfer Jaylen Thomas is also considering Tennessee, along with Arkansas, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Kansas and Baylor among others. Thomas is a 6-3, 310-pound defensive tackle from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Thomas, a Memphis native, is ranked the No. 13 junior college transfer in the 2026 class.
Tennessee football recruiting class 2026 for Josh Heupel
Tennessee has commitments from 23 prospects, including two five-stars, 12 four-stars and nine three-stars.
The class is led by Brandon and Keys. Brandon is ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the class and No. 7 player overall, according to 247Sports Composite. Keys is ranked the No. 2 wide receiver and the No. 11 player overall.
They join four-star recruits in athlete Salesi Moa, linebacker TJ White, athlete Joel Wyatt, linebacker Brayden Rouse, offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda, wide receiver Tyreek King, offensive tackle Kamari Blair, edge rusher Hezekiah Harris, cornerback Zay Anderson, edge rusher Zach Groves, defensive lineman Dereon Albert and defensive line Kedric Golston.
The Vols also are bringing in three-star recruits in defensive lineman Darryl Rivers, cornerback Javonte Smith, safety Jowell Combay, safety Luke Thompson, edge rusher CJ Edwards, safety KJ McClain, cornerback Jamyan Theodore, offensive lineman Edward Baker and tight end Luca Wolf.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee recruiting ranking Josh Heupel before early signing day 2025
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos