On Aug. 1, Tennessee football officially lost its four-star tight end commit, Carson Sneed, to North Carolina via a flip. The Vols identified another recruiting target at the position on the same day, though.
That Friday, Tennessee extended an offer to three-star tight end Lincoln Watkins, according to 247. He has been committed to another SEC school, Kentucky, since June 21, 2025.
Watkins took an official visit to see the Wildcats on June 17. He was extended an offer the same day, and committed just days later. He also took official visits to Nebraska on June 20, Indiana on June 16, NC State on June 6 and Florida on June 5.
He holds additional offers from UK, Missouri, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, NC State, Duke, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Boston College, Maryland, Miami, Minnesota, Oregon, USF, Illinois, Purdue, Pitt, Penn State, Louisville, Kansas and Arizona State.
Watkins is considered the No. 622 recruit in the nation and No. 32 tight end, according to 247 composite rankings. He is from Port Huron, Michigan, and ranked as the No. 12 player in the state.
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With Sneed flipping away from UT, Tennessee now holds no tight end commitments in the 2026 class. Outside of the newly offered Watkins, there are no clear targets at the position, either.
However, even if the Vols don’t bring in a tight end in this cycle, there is still plenty of young depth in Alec Abeln’s position room. He brings in two highly-touted true freshmen in four-stars DaSaahn Brame and Jack Van Dorselaer. With the season less than a month away, reports from Tennessee coaches and players, and what we’ve seen in periods open to the media, show both freshmen living up to the early hype.
Tennessee also rosters second-year tight end Cole Harrison, who is a bit banged up during fall camp at the moment. Ethan Davis also has additional eligibility following this season.
