Tennessee Football now has 23 commitments in its 2026 recruiting class after flipping an offensive lineman from South Carolina on Thursday afternoon. Kamari Blair, a four-star lineman in the cycle, originally committed to South Carolina over Tennessee and Ole Miss back in July. Josh Heupel and his staff keep their foot on the gas, though, resulting in a high-profile in-conference flip before the regular season.
The Vols’ class is now comprised of one quarterback, two wide receivers, four offensive linemen, five defensive linemen (including EDGE rushers), three linebackers, six defensive backs, and two versatile athletes.
Tennessee was one of the most explosive teams in the country on the recruiting trail over the summer, and Blair’s flip on Thursday is a great way for the Vols to head into the 2025 season. Five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon is Tennessee’s top commit and has been the cornerstone of the class since August 2024. Since his commitment, Tennessee has loaded up with talented pieces around him, including linebackers TJ White and Brayden Rouse, athletes Salesi Moa and Joel Wyatt, and pass catchers Tyreek King and Legend Bey.
Tennessee’s class is essentially the same across 247 Sports and Rivals. 247 has Tennessee with two five-stars, 11 four-stars, and 10 three-stars, while Rivals has UT with one five-star, 12 four-stars, and 10 three-stars. The biggest difference between the two lists is that 247 has OT Gabriel Osenda as a five-star while Rivals has him as a four-star. There are some other small differences, but the lists basically shake out the same from an overall numbers perspective.
More From RTI: How Tennessee Football Salvaged A Big Recruiting Week With A Surprise Flip
We’ll lay out the rankings update for the two publications below, but it’s also important to mention ESPN’s 2026 standings as well. ESPN put out its Top 25 2026 recruiting classes on Thursday morning, but it was before Blair’s flip to Tennessee. It’s pretty likely that these rankings do not factor in Blair’s commitment. Tennessee lands at No. 15 in the country in this list.
ESPN’s notable commitments in the class include QB Faizon Brandon, WR Tyreek King, ATH Joel Wyatt, OT Gabriel Osenda, DE Zach Groves, and DL Dereon Albert.
Here’s a look at how Tennessee’s recruiting class shakes out in 247Sports and Rivals’ updated 2026 team rankings:
Overall ranking: No. 11
SEC Ranking: No. 6 behind (1) Georgia, (4) Texas A&M, (5) Alabama, (6) Texas, (8) LSU
Top 5 commitments: 5-star QB Faizon Brandon, 5-star OT Gabriel Osenda, 4-star ATH Salesi Moa, 4-star ATH Joel Wyatt, 4-star LB Brayden Rouse
Overall: No. 12
SEC Ranking: No. 6 behind (2) Georgia, (5) Texas, (6) Texas A&M, (7) Alabama, (8) LSU
Top 5 commitments: 5-star QB Faizon Brandon, 4-star ATH Salesi Moa, 4-star ATH Joel Wyatt, 4-star LB Brayden Rouse, 4-star LB TJ White
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Here’s a look at all 23 members of the Vols’ Top 15-ranked recruiting class as of Thursday afternoon:
(Rankings in order of commitment date, not rating)
OL Kamari Blair – 8/21/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Flips Four-Star In-State Lineman From South Carolina
ATH Salesi Moa – 7/31/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Football Lands Commitment of Five-Star Athlete With Two-Way Potential
ATH Joel Wyatt – 7/28/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Four-Star In-State Athlete Joel Wyatt Commits To Tennessee Football
OL J.B. Shabazz – 7/11/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Football Lands Commitment From Four-Star Offensive Tackle J.B. Shabazz Over SEC Rival
DB Jowell Combay – 7/9/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Three-Star Georgia Safety Commits To Tennessee Over SEC Foes
LB Brayden Rouse – 7/8/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Football Earns Commitment From Top-4 Linebacker in 2026 Class Brayden Rouse
DB Javonte Smith – 7/8/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Tennessee Football Adds Commitment From In-State Athlete Javonte Smith to Growing 2026 Class
DL Darryl Rivers – 7/4/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Tennessee Football Bolsters Defensive Line With New Commitment Darryl Rivers
LB TJ White – 7/1/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Football Lands 4-star Linebacker TJ White To Continue Hot Stretch on Trail
DL Dereon Albert – 7/1/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Four-Star Dereon Albert Talks Commitment To Tennessee, Vols Coaches ‘Keeping It Real’
CB Jamyan Theodore – 7/1/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Tennessee Football Lands Third Commit of the Day in In-State Cornerback Jamyan Theodore
CB Zay Anderson – 6/28/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Local Three-Star Recruit Commits To Tennessee Football
WR Legend Bey – 6/28/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Four-Star Athlete Commits To Tennessee Football Over SEC Foe
DL Kedric Golson II – 6/27/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Three-Star Defensive End, Georgia Legacy Commits To Tennessee Football
IOL Edward Baker – 6/27/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Three-Star Interior Offensive Lineman Commits To Tennessee Football
S Luke Thompson – 6/14/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Instate Three-Star Recruit Commits To Tennessee Football
S KJ McClain – 6/11/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Tennessee Adds Defensive Commit KJ McClain to the 2026 Class
EDGE Zach Groves – 5/21/25
- 247Sports Rating: 4-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Four-Star, Instate Edge Rusher Commits To Tennessee Football
EDGE CJ Edwards – 2/25/25
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Three-Star Defensive End Commits To Tennessee Football
OT Gabriel Osenda – 1/11/25
- 247Sports Rating: 5-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Five-Star Tennessee Football Commit ‘Done Taking Visits’ To Other Schools
LB Braylon Outlaw – 11/8/24
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 3-star
- Tennessee Football Commit Shuts Down His Recruitment
WR Tyreek King – 10/31/24
- 247Sports Rating: 3-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- Tennessee Commit Puts Up Impressive Showing at Recruiting Event
QB Faizon Brandon – 8/3/24
- 247Sports Rating: 5-star
- On3/Rivals Rating: 4-star
- ESPN Assesses Five-Star Tennessee Football QB Commit Faizon Brandon’s Fit With Vols
