The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl may be in the rearview mirror but there’s still one more football game left to be played in Orlando in early January.
The Under Armour All-American game takes place at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday, Jan. 3 and it will have a Tennessee them to it. Five different Volunteer signees — Edrees Farooq, Kaleb Beasley, Peyton Lewis, Mike Matthews and Jordan Ross — are playing in the high school All-American game.
Two of Tennessee’s signees playing in the game went through bowl practices with the Vols while two more signees are early enrolling in January.
Tennessee’s five signees playing in the game is the sixth most coming in behind Georgia (seven), South Carolina (seven), Alabama (six), Oregon (six) and Auburn (six). The Vols come in slightly ahead of Oklahoma (four), South Carolina (four), Florida (three) and Kentucky (three).
Here’s what to know about the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game and what to know about the five Volunteer players participating in it.
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2024 Under Armour All-American Game
- Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 2024
- Time: 4 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. CT
- How to watch: ESPN
- Live stream: WatchESPN
Tennessee Players
Peyton Lewis, Running Back
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Four-star
Lewis committed to Tennessee over South Carolina in May and is still the Vols lone running back commit. The Salem, Virginia native turned in a dominant high school senior season though he stayed set in recruiting rankings.
Lewis ranks as the No. 159 player and No. 14 running back in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Tennessee is losing running back Jaylen Wright and could also lose Jabari Small this offseason. If Small moves on with his football future, Lewis could earn a rotational role in Tennessee’s running back room as a freshman.
Kaleb Beasley, Cornerback
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Four-star
Beasley was one of Tennessee’s first commits in the 2024 cycle, choosing the Vols in October of 2022. Auburn and Notre Dame each made pushes for Beasley but the Vols made it to the finish line and landed the blue-chip recruit.
The Nashville native ranks as the No. 154 player and No. 16 cornerback nationally according to the 247sports composite rankings. After Tennessee’s multitude of defensive back transfers this offseason, Beasley has a chance to earn real playing time as a freshman but that is no
Jordan Ross, EDGE
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Five-star
Ross committed to Tennessee over Auburn, Florida and LSU in August and is the second highest rated commit in the Vols’ recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound edge rusher has the build of a great pass rusher but will need to add more strength and weight once he gets to Knoxville.
The Birmingham, Alabama native ranks as a five-star recruit and the No. 33 player nationally according to the 247sports composite rankings and as the third best edge rusher in his class. Ross will have a challenging path to the field as a freshman at a position that is hard to play as a freshman and behind strong players at the position already on the Vols’ roster.
Mike Matthews, Receiver
ESPN: Five-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Five-star
247sports: Five-star
Matthews is the highest rated commit in Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class and chose the Vols over Clemson, Georgia and Southern Cal in July. The Atlanta native has already arrived on Tennessee’s campus and is going through bowl practices this month before officially enrolling in classes in January.
The 6-foot-1 receiver ranks as a five-star commit and the No. 20 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Matthews also ranks as the nation’s fifth best receiver and the fourth best player in the state of Georgia. The blue-chip recruit will have a chance to compete for early playing time though that’s no guarantee in a crowded, but not elite, Tennessee receiver room.
Edrees Farooq, Safety
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Three-star
247sports: Three-star
Farooq committed to Tennessee in April after visiting Knoxville for the Vols’ Orange-and-White game. A Maryland native, Farooq boasted offers from a number of power five schools before committing to the Vols over Maryland and Virginia Tech.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 567 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Like the rest of Tennessee’s safety signees, Farooq will have a chance to earn early playing time. However, a special teams role seems more likely in Farooq’s freshman season.
