Tennessee football has made a splash to open up the early signing period, flipping four-star Carter Gooden from UCLA on Wednesday afternoon. Gooden committed to UCLA back in July and stayed committed throughout the fall despite the Bruins firing head coach DeShaun Foster back in September.
While Gooden remained publicly committed to the Bruins throughout the coaching change, he continued to evaluate his other options. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end took a visit to Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the last two weeks and ended up choosing the Vols over the Commodores and Bruins.
Gooden ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 147 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. He also ranks as the No. 17 edge rusher and the No. 1 player in the state of Massachusetts. 247sports own rankings are even higher on Gooden, tabbing him as the No. 90 player and No. 13 edge rusher in the country.
More From RTI: Electric Local Prospect Says It’s a ‘Dream Come True’ to Finally Sign With Tennessee Football
The blue-chip recruit stars at the Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. Gooden and the Seawolves are currently 9-0 on the 2025 season. Massachusetts is not typically a recruiting hot-bed for Tennessee. Gooden is the first Massachusetts native to sign with Tennessee during the Josh Heupel era. He’s also one of just three four-star recruits in the state in the 2026 cycle.
The Vols are loading up on defensive linemen and particularly edge rushers in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Tennessee’s class also contains commitments from four-star edge rusher Hezekiah Harris, four-star edge rusher Zach Groves and three-star edge rusher CJ Edwards. In total, Tennessee’s recruiting class now contains eight total defensive linemen in the 2026 cycle.
Tennessee’s 26-commit recruiting class now ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
