Tennessee moves into top 10 of On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings
Tennessee is playing host to a number of elite recruits this weekend, including a trio of five-star prospects who are strongly considering the Vols. And before the weekend is even out, Josh Heupel and Co. have received another commitment — this time from Salem (Va.) four-star running back Peyton Lewis.
The No. 197 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking chose Tennessee over Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Penn State and South Carolina.
His pledge is No. 12 for the Vols, who also move up two spots to No. 9 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings with him in the fold.
Recruiting momentum continues to grow for Tennessee
Heupel’s second recruiting class with Tennessee showed promising signs for the future. The Volunteers finished the 2023 recruiting cycle with the No. 13 class in the country highlighted by one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Nico Iamaleava.
That class on top of what the Volunteers accomplished on the field in 2022 has helped Josh Heupel and his coaching staff when it comes to building their 2024 class.
Prior to the start of the new year, the Volunteers had three commitments with four-star tight end Jonathan Echols, four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley and three-star defensive lineman Carson Gentle.
Four-star safety Marcus Goree became the Volunteers first commitment in 2023 and a week after his commitment they landed a pledge from four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell.
Tennessee was able to build upon that momentum during the spring landing six new commitments since four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger committed to the Volunteers on March 30. Since then, the Vols have added Lewis, four-star EDGE Kellen Lindstrom, offensive tackles Gage Ginther and Jesse Perry, and defensive back Edrees Farooq.
More top targets still on the board
Among the visitors in Knoxville this weekend are some of Tennessee’s most coveted targets in the 2024 class. Five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo will be in town Sunday and Monday while the Vols battle Miami, Georgia, Missouri and a handful of others to land him.
Another important name to know is four-star Portal High School (Ga.) tight end Amir Jackson. With Jaden Reddell committing to Georgia, Tennessee is pivoting to Jackson and will need to make a solid impression here this weekend to lock in an official visit in the future.
Four-star EDGE Kameryn Fountain will be in attendance this weekend, and the Vols have been among his favorites for a while now. South Carolina and others are swinging hard here heading into the summer. Fountain has built a strong relationship with Rodney Garner, and the Vols will look to build more momentum here heading into June official visits.
The biggest expected names in town will be five-star linebacker Sammy Brown (on an official visit) and five-star EDGE Dylan Stewart (unofficial). Tennessee isn’t considered to be in the top group for either prospect as it stands today but are hoping to make up some major ground over the next few days.