Zach Groves signed with Tennessee football last week and followed it up by taking home the TSSAA 2A Mr. Football Award on Tuesday.
The 2025 Class 2A Mr. Football winner: Zach Groves, East Robertson pic.twitter.com/lIHjk5bCIS
— Joe Spears🏈🏀 (@joe_spears7) December 9, 2025
Groves is a standout at East Robertson High School in Cross Plaines, Tennessee. The defensive end helped lead the Indians to a 12-1 record in his senior season before losing in the quarterfinals to Huntingdon in the 2A quarterfinals.
On the defensive side of the ball, Groves totaled 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception this season. He also played running back on the offensive side of the ball, totaling 675 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Groves also caught nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
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Groves ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 279 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect also ranks as the No. 27 edge rusher and the No. 10 player in the state of Tennessee in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
The blue-chip recruit committed to Tennessee back in May over a top group that included Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss and Southern Cal. Groves was just the eighth commit of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class and helped spark a strong summer for the Vols on the recruiting trail.
Josh Heupel and his staff did a strong job recruiting the Volunteer State in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Vols signed 10 instate prospects in the class including three of the state’s top 5 players and six of the state’s top 10 players according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Those top 10 commits include Murfreesboro athlete Joel Wyatt (No. 2), Chattanooga offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda (4), Knoxville receiver Tyreek King (5), Clarksville offensive tackle Kamari Blair (6), Greeneville cornerback Zay Anderson (9) and Groves (10).
