Tennessee football landed its eighth commitment of its 2026 recruiting class Wednesday afternoon when four-star edge rusher Zach Groves committed to the Vols over Ole Miss, Southern Cal and others.
It ended a slow stretch for Tennessee on the recruiting trail but continued a positive them for the Vols in the 2026 recruiting cycle— instate recruiting. Groves, a Nashville native, is Tennessee’s fourth commit from the Volunteer State this cycle.
According to the 247sports composite rankings, Tennessee hold commitments from four of the top 10 players in its own state in the 2026 cycle. Receiver Tyreek King (No. 4), offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda (No. 6), Groves (No. 7) and tight end Carson Sneed (No. 8) are all Tennessee commits.
The Vols are making their hay in both east and middle Tennessee. King is a Knoxville Catholic standout, Osenda plays at Baylor in Chattanooga while Groves plays at East Robertson in north Nashville and Sneed plays at Donelson Christian Academy in the Nashville area.
Of the six other players ranked in the top 10 of the state of Tennessee, three are committed to other schools. Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis is the No. 1 player in the state and committed to Georgia. The Vols never actively recruited Curtis after landing fellow five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon out of Charlotte.
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Four-star cornerback Caden Harris, the No. 3 player in the state, is a Vanderbilt commit. Four-star cornerback Chaston Smith, the No. 10 player in the state, is a Notre Dame commit.
What about the three other uncommitted played? Joel Wyatt is the No. 2 player in the state and a four-star receiver who attends the Webb School in Bell Buckle. Wyatt is one of the Vols’ top remaining targets in the 2026 recruiting cycle with LSU and Vanderbilt proving to be Tennessee’s toughest competition for the top 50 recruit nationally.
Tennessee is also pursuing Oakland safety Craig Tutt, the No. 4 player in the state, and is battling Ole Miss and Michigan for his services.
Josh Heupel and his staff are not currently recruiting the state’s No. 9 player— Clarksville offensive tackle Kamari Blair. There are three other four-stars in the state of Tennessee, all committed to other schools. Justin Hopkins is a Minnesota commit, Shavar Young is a Clemson commit and Briggs Cherry is a Louisville commit.
In the 2025 recruiting cycle, Tennessee landed four of the top 10, and four of the top six, players in the state. They landed three of the top 10 players in the state in the 2024 cycle and two of the top 10 players in the state in the 2023 cycle. Tennessee did land the top two players in the state in 2023 (Caleb Herring and Arion Carter).
Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class ranks currently ranks No. 22 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
