Tennessee football has already started to feel the recruiting effects of its 24-17 win over Alabama on Saturday evening. The Vols have already landed as commitments from four-star offensive lineman Brandon Anderson and three-star defensive lineman Tyson Bacon in the 2026 recruiting class. Now they’re eyeing a flip.
Four-star South Carolina linebacker commit Rodney Colton visited Tennessee for the rivalry showdown and could be eyeing a flip. 247sports National Recruiting expert Tom Loy put in a crystal ball prediction for Colton to flip his commitment to Tennessee.
Colton ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 152 player in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Newnan native also ranks as the No. 12 linebacker and the No. 18 player in the state of Georgia in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
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The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker committed to South Carolina back in the spring but the junior in high school certainly has not shut down his recruitment. Colton visited Florida and Georgia earlier this fall before visiting Tennessee for the Alabama game. With signing day 2025 still 14 months away, there’s no shortage of time for things to change in his recruitment.
Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains four commits including Anderson, Bacon, four-star Carson Sneed and five-star Faizon Brandon. If Colton were to flip to Tennessee soon he would be the first linebacker commit in the Vols’ 2026 recruiting class.
As previously stated, it’s still very early in the 2026 recruiting cycle but the Vols are off to a strong start landing three blue-chip recruits since the start of August. Tennessee’s four-commit recruiting class currently ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
