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Four-star OT JB Shabazz flips commitment from Tennessee to North Carolina

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey09/04/25GrantRamey
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Penn State finds itself in a strong than expected position with one of the country's top offensive line prospects. (Photo Credit: (Matt Parker | Lettermen Row)

Four-star offensive tackle JB Shabazz has flipped his commitment from Tennessee to North Carolina a little less than two months after committing to the Vols. The news of Shabazz’s flip was reported on Thursday morning. 

Shabazz, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound prospect out of East Forsyth High School in Winston Salem, N.C., picked Tennessee over Ohio State and South Carolina at the time of his initial commitment. 

He’s ranked No. 308 overall in the Rivals Industry Ranking as a four-star prospect. He’s the No. 28 offensive tackle in the class and No. 14 in the state of North Carolina. In the Rivals Ranking, he’s the No. 65 overall prospect, the No. 9 offensive tackle and No. 7 recruit in North Carolina. 

Tennessee’s 2026 class ranked No. 8 nationally, No. 5 in SEC

Tennessee has 24 commitments in its 2026 recruiting class. The group is ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC, with a class score 91.78.

The Vols have benefited greatly from flips in recent weeks, adding five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair and four-star edge rusher Hezekiah Harris. 

Blair flipped from a South Carolina commitment on August 21 and Keys flipped from an LSU commitment on Thursday.

Harris, the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Huntsville, Ala., is the No. 99 overall player in the Rivals Industry Ranking and is the seventh top-100 prospect in Tennessee’s 2026 class. He’s the No. 15 EDGE in the class and the No. 7 player in the state of Alabama. 

Keys, from Hattiesburg, Miss., is the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2026 class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He’s the No. 1 wide receiver in the country and the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi.

Blair, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle from Clarksville, is the No. 22 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee.

Vols have two five-star commits, 11 four-stars, six in top 100

The Keys commitment gave the Vols two five stars in the class, alongside quarterback Faizon Brandon, the No. 11 overall prospect nationally and the No. 3 quarterback in the class. 

Tennessee is one of seven programs with two five-star commitments, along with Alabama, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, USC and Michigan.

The class includes six top-100 recruits in total and 11 four-star prospects: ATH Salesi Moa(No. 46); ATH Joel Wyatt (No. 58); LB Brayden Rouse (No. 94); LB TJ White (No. 96); WR Tyreek King (No. 128); OT Gabriel Osenda (No. 226); EDGE Zach Groves (No. 256); DL Dereon Albert (No. 261); OT Kamari Blair (No. 274); CB Zaydyn Anderson (No. 329); ATH Legend Bey (No. 362).

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