Recapping Tennessee Football’s Summer Recruiting Surge

By Ric Butler
- Aug 21, 2024

Lagonza Hayward — Tennessee safety commit Lagonza “Shaedy” Hayward Jr. Photo via @theshaedy_10x on Instagram.

Tennessee has been one of the major winners on the recruiting trail this summer.

As fall camp wraps up and the 2024 season inches closer, Tennessee has the No. 6 overall recruiting class in 247’s team rankings. Josh Heupel and his staff have been hard to beat this summer in terms of the level of recruits and the number of recruits.

Tennessee has landed 15 commits since the start of June with 13 in the 2025 class and two in the 2026 class. The Vols’ summer recruiting class is also well dispersed, covering a total of nine states from just 15 commitments: New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia, Kansas, and Maryland.

Tennessee’s summer haul is also quite diverse with an emphasis on the trenches. Out of the 15 commitments, the Vols have four defensive linemen/EDGE rushers, three offensive linemen (two tackles, one interior), two defensive backs (one cornerback, one safety), two linebackers, two tight ends, one wide receiver, and one quarterback.

In addition to the sheer number of commitments that Tennessee has received, many of the Vols’ prospects have been highly ranked. According to 247’s rankings, the average ranking for Tennessee’s 15 commits is 3.8 stars.

The Vols have claimed two five-star prospects (one in each class), eight four-star prospects, and five three-star prospects since the start of June.

Two of Tennessee’s commitments rank atop their positions according to 247Sports. Recent commit David Sanders Jr. lands as the top offensive tackle in the 2025 class while quarterback Faizon Brandon comes in as the top overall prospect in the 2026 rankings.

But while it’s easy to look at all the names quickly on a screen, Tennessee’s success on the recruiting trail wouldn’t be happening without continuous and sustained effort inside the building.

“I think the success in recruiting for us isn’t something that just happens in the last six weeks,” Josh Heupel said on Monday. “I think that there’s so much hard work that goes into it from your staff, from your players here on campus when the recruits come to campus, at this point in our tenure having long-standing relationships with coaches. People have their feet on the ground, the recruits themselves, their families, us being able to recruit to the culture that we’ve built here.”

Here’s a timeline of Tennessee’s recruiting success since the start of June: