The early signing period came to a close on Friday and it was a somewhat eventful period for the Vols as they inked 22 of their commits, flipped and signed a pair of recruits and then landed one final commitment and signed him.
Tennessee ended up signing 25 players for a recruiting class that now ranks No. 10 nationally according to nearly every recruiting website.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Tennessee recruiting during the early signing period.
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Tennessee Got To The Finish Line With David Sanders
Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders was the crown jewel of Tennessee’s recruiting class. The Vols put more energy into recruiting Sanders than an other recruit this cycle but landing him was about more than just this recruiting class.
Tennessee has struggled to land top offensive tackle prep prospects and Sanders has a chance to be a day one starter next season.
That’s what made it worrisome when Sanders showed up at Ohio State two weeks before signing day. Tennessee thought it had quelled the Buckeyes push but concern again rose when Sanders didn’t sign on Wednesday. But the Vols got a big sigh of relief Thursday evening when Sanders officially signed.
Locking up its top commit was the biggest news of signing day.
Vols Come Out Relatively Even On Flips
Tennessee lost a pair of commits either leading up to the signing period or during the signing period while also flipping a pair of commits itself.
Safety Lagonza Hayward was one of the Vols’ top rated commits when he de-committed shortly before signing day and ended up signing with Florida on Wednesday. Hayward was the highest rated safety that Tennessee had landed during Josh Heupel’s tenure. Losing him was a real loss. Three-star defensive lineman Darrion Smith flipping to Auburn was less serious of a loss.
But Tennessee did some flipping itself. The Vols replaced Hayward with three-star Birmingham defensive back Tim Merritt who flipped to Tennessee from Miami. Then after failing to flip four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte from Georgia in the summer, the Vols flipped the linebacker from USC on signing day.
The one still up in the air is low four-star commit Onis Konanbanny who did not sign during the early signing period. Florida was pushing for a flip.
Tennessee Adds One Of The Best Defensive Linemen In The Country
The biggest addition to Tennessee’s class during the early signing period came on Wednesday evening when four-star defensive lineman Isaiah Campbell committed to the Vols over Clemson and North Carolina.
A Durham native, Campbell ranks as the No. 37 player and No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Campbell is the highest ranked interior defensive lineman that Tennessee has signed up Josh Heupel. He is the second highest rated signee in Tennessee’s class behind only David Sanders.
