According to a report from Rivals, nobody is in a better position to land elite class of 2027 defensive line recruit Benjarvius Shumaker than Tennessee football. Out of Ackerman, Mississippi, he clocks in as the No. 49 overall player in the class on 247, and No. 4 defensive lineman.
In Rivals’ report, Shumaker was quoted with this strong stance on the Vols at this point: “I would say they’re top two right now and they ain’t second!”
While there is likely a long way to go before Shumaker will come off the board, you can’t understate the importance of building a strong relationship early for top prospects. He was on campus for a game day on Sept. 13, when the Vols fell to Georgia in overtime.
Had a GREAT TIME!! @Vol_Football definitely was a good game and I got a lot of good stuff from it. ( want be my last time been here 🔥)!!!! @coachg76 @LevornH @coachjoshheupel @Ruzic_Steven @CooperBell30 @CoachORourke @CoachTimBanks @RyanCallahan247 pic.twitter.com/BeClAniZYm
— 𝙱𝚎𝚗’𝙹𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚞𝚜 𝙹. 𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛”4🌟” (@BenJarviuxx) September 14, 2025
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Shumaker picked up his offer from Tennessee back on March 3. At the time, the only other big-time programs to offer him were Ole Miss, Florida State, Mississippi State, Auburn, LSU and Alabama. Since then, he’s picked up more offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Louisville, Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Miami, Purdue, Oklahoma, Maryland and Missouri.
Tennessee currently has just one commitment in the 2027 class in legacy prospect J.P. Peace. However, the Vols are in great standing for multiple top recruits.
Schumaker would be a massive get on the defensive line for Rodney Garner and company. In the 2026 cycle, the Vols have picked up defensive tackles four-star Dereon Albert and three-star Darryl Rivers. In the 2025 class, Tennessee brought in five-star Isaiah Campbell and four-star Ethan Utley, both of whom are already playing in year one.
