4-star DL Jordan Carter details his commitment to Tennessee

Douglas County (Ga.) four-star 2026 EDGE Jordan Carter re-opened his recruitment earlier this month, and the Tennessee Volunteers are one of the programs that have surged to the top of his list. On Wednesday, he picked Rocky Top as his future college home and detailed his decision with Volquest. A big reason why he picked Tennessee was defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

“Coach G was a big part of my recruitment,” Carter said. “He was one of the few coaches that believed in me through this process. I really appreciate him for everything he has done for me and I really see the guys he has been recruiting through the process and the guys he has sent to the league. The places he has been and the things he knows. He knows a lot and he does a lot of things right in the process. I’m definitely excited to play for him for sure.”

The visits came back looking orange

Carter was committed to Texas A&M for several months before opening things back up. He came up to Tennessee unofficially for the Oklahoma game and then came back two weeks later for an official visit for the New Mexico State game with his family. It was that visit that made Tennessee feel like a very realistic possibility for him.

“That OV was definitely big for me and my family,” Carter said. “It was one biggest because of how they treated me and how everything went for me on the visit. Even though they played New Mexico State, they showed me defensively why I should pick them and they sat me down in the meetings and set my family down in the meetings and assured them I’m going to be safe if I’m there and made it feel like home for sure.”

Carter said it was the trio of Garner, Josh Heupel and Tim Banks that made him pick Tennessee. He acknowledged that the last month has been really difficult because he was committed so long and had to pivot and take several visits before deciding on Tennessee.