Josh Heupel and his staff landed a defensive prospect in Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday afternoon.
According to a report from Volquest’s Austin Price, 2026 safety KJ McClain has committed to the Volunteers. Tennessee now has nine total commits in the current recruiting cycle.
The 5-foot-11.5, 165-pound prospect is ranked as a three-star prospect at the time of his commitment. 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have McClain listed as the No. 607 player in the class, the No. 47 safety, and the No. 10 player from the state of New Jersey.
McClain also posted a commitment video to his Instagram page on Wednesday afternoon:
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McClain currently plays for St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey. The 2026 prospect spent his first two seasons at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, NJ, before switching to St. Joseph before the 2024 season, according to 247 Sports.
His older brother, safety Jaylen McClain, was a three-star commit to Ohio State in the 2024 recruiting class. McClain recorded three tackles in Ohio State’s playoff win over Tennessee in December, which made up for nearly half of his season production with eight tackles.
McClain’s commitment to Tennessee comes less than a week after a visit to Rocky Top for an official visit. He also visited Tennessee on March 29 for an unofficial visit alongside other potential future prospects.
Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez has preached that his players aren’t locked down to just cornerbacks and safeties, but rather as versatile defensive backs. Versatile is a great word to describe McClain’s game as he uses speed, physicality, and instincts to make plays on the ball.
Speaking of defensive backs, McClain’s commitment to Tennessee makes him the first secondary commit in the Vols’ 2026 class to start the ball rolling on the summer news. Tennessee had three defensive prospects prior to McClain’s commitment, though two of those players are EDGE rushers on the defensive line. McClain now gives the secondary a starting position as Tennessee works to add more to bolster that unit.
Tennessee’s nine-player 2026 commit list now consists of five-star QB Faizon Brandon, five-star OT Gabriel Osenda, four-star EDGE Zach Groves, three-star WR Tyreek King, three-star TE Carson Sneed, three-star S KJ McClain, three-star EDGE CJ Edwards, three-star WR Tyran Evans, and three-star LB Braylon Outlaw.
The summer of 2024 was a big one for Tennessee recruiting, and the Vols are looking to make similar waves here in the summer of 2025. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football offseason coverage.
