Tennessee signing day updates: Recruiting rankings, best players in 2026 class

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Tennessee football is trying to land the highest ranked recruiting class of Josh Heupel’s tenure, featuring five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon and five-star receiver Tristen Keys.

The early signing period began Dec. 3. The Vols have 24 players committed in the 2026 class, and they’re waiting for them to sign.

Here are Tennessee’s signees, their 247Sports Composite rank and the latest recruiting news:

Tennessee football signees in 2026 class

Check back here throughout the day for live updates of players signing with Tennessee.

Tennessee football recruiting targets

Tennessee may add a defensive lineman to its class, and there are a few possibilities.

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 rankings

Entering the early signing period, Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 8 nationally in the 247Sports Composite and fourth in the SEC. It trailed 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.

When is early signing day? Transfer portal and late signing day?

High school players who wish to sign during the early period must do so Dec. 3-5.

The late signing period for high school players begins Feb. 5.

Teams will wrap up the biggest portion of their signing class this week before adding players from the transfer portal, which opens Jan. 2.

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.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football signing day live updates: Latest recruiting news

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