Four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley is announcing his college commitment on Thursday. The Nashville native is deciding between a top group that includes Michigan, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas.
Utley ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 161 player nationally according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Ensworth School standout ranks as the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee and the 19th best defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner and the Vols have long targeted Utley as one of their top prospects in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
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The Vols have hosted Utley on more visits that any other school. Utley has been on four visits to Tennessee in the last year alone including a trip for one of the Vols’ January Junior Days as well as the Texas A&M and Georgia games last fall.
The blue-chip recruit has also taken two visits to Texas in the last year and one visit to both Oklahoma and Texas. Utley has yet to take a visit to Syracuse as new head coach Fran Brown has targeted a number of southern players using his ties from his stint as a Georgia assistant.
Tennessee football’s 2025 recruiting class currently contains six commits but none are from defensive lineman at this point.
The Vols’ six-commit recruiting class currently ranks No. 13 nationally according to the 247sports team rankings. Landing Utley would bump them to the No. 11 recruiting class nationally.
