Four-star defensive lineman and Tennessee football target Dereon Albert has a commitment date set. Albert plans on announcing his commitment on July 1 and is down to the Vols and North Carolina, 247sports Tom Loy reported.
Albert decided his commitment date after cancelling his scheduled official visit to Mississippi State and just a week after officially visiting Tennessee. On3’s Chad Simmons placed an expert prediction for Albert to commit to Tennessee last week. The blue-chip recruit also previously visited Arkansas before cutting his list to Tennessee and North Carolina.
The Jackson, Mississippi native ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 358 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Albert 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.
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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. 39 nationally and No. 9 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
