Three-star linebacker Austin Howard de-committed from Mississippi State on Tuesday morning after officially visiting Tennessee last weekend for the Vols’ win over Alabama.
A West Tennessee native, Howard ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 681 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Bartlett native also ranks as the No. 69 linebacker and No. 23 player in the state of Tennessee.
Howard’s weekend official visit to Tennessee was his second trip to Knoxville during the recruiting process, also unofficially visiting Tennessee back in March. The three-star recruit has also taken three visits to both Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in 2024.
Despite his de-commitment from Mississippi State coming shortly after his official visit to Tennessee, Vanderbilt appears to be in polling position for Howard. Both 247sports crystal balls predict Howard to land at Vanderbilt while the On3 RPM gives Howard a 93.9% chance to land at Vanderbilt.
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Tennessee football’s 2025 recruiting class currently holds commitments from a pair of four-star linebackers— Jaedon Harmon and Christian Gass. Harmon flipped from Alabama to Tennessee this summer and the Crimson Tide has been working to get him back including hosting him on a visit for the South Carolina game. But after unofficially visiting Tennessee for the Alabama game, Harmon told Volquest’s Austin Price that he was shutting down his recruitment and sticking with the Vols.
The Vols’ 2025 recruiting class currently contains 23 commits including the two linebackers. And with Tennessee losing just Keenan Pili from this year’s team while returning four underclassmen, they’re not in desperate need to add any more linebackers to this recruiting class.
Tennessee’s 23-commit 2025 recruiting class currently ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
