Tennessee football could be closing in on landing a commitment from a blue-chip defensive tackle. On3’s Chad Simmons logged an expert prediction for the Vols to land four-star Dereon Albert Thursday.
Albert ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 358 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Jackson native also ranks as the No. 14 player in the state of Mississippi and the No. 42 defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
247sports own rankings are even higher on Albert, tabbing him as the No. 184 player and No. 28 defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
The prediction comes less than a week after Albert officially visited Tennessee football. Albert previously officially visited North Carolina and Arkansas. He also has an official visit scheduled to home state Mississippi State this weekend.
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Albert has had a dominant first three high school seasons at the Jackson Academy, combining for 246 tackles, 61.5 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle totaled 81 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks while helping the Raiders post a 9-4 record in his junior season.
Josh Heupel and his staff have not actively recruited Mississippi in their time at Tennessee but one of the Vols’ top recruiting targets at the moment is five-star receiver Tristen Keys. A Hattiesburg native, Keys is committed to LSU but officially visited Tennessee last weekend at the same time as Albert.
Tennessee football’s 2026 recruiting class currently includes two defensive lineman. However, both three-star CJ Edwards and four-star Zach Groves are edge rushers. The Vols do not boast a commitment from a true interior defensive lineman like Albert.
The Vols’ nine-commit 2026 recruiting class currently ranks No. 35 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
