The Penn State peer recruitment is continuing on social media for a second straight day. This time, though, it’s Tennessee linebacker commit Amare Campbell sending out the fireworks.
When the Vols landed former Nittany Lions defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam on Thursday night, his first order of business was to encourage his former teammates to join him on Rocky Top. He tagged Penn State EDGE rusher Chaz Coleman, Penn State safety Dejaun Lane, and Penn State linebacker Amare Campbell in various posts, trying to get their attention out of the portal. Campbell responded to the message as he expressed his excitement to visit Knoxville on Friday.
On the same night as his visit, Campbell committed to Tennessee to join Gilliam. Now, Campbell is the one using the same trick. After committing, Campbell penned a message on social media directed at former teammate Dejuan Lane.
“Vol Nation… Bring him home,” Campbell wrote, posting a picture of and tagging Lane.
Vol Nation … Bring him home 🍊 @Dejuan24 pic.twitter.com/2VGdqfJB25
— Amare🐐 (@amareGcampbell) January 10, 2026
“Cmon Dejuan come play for a powerhouse historical SEC team and be the missing piece!” one user commented on the post. “Offense is top 5 and loaded and we got an insane defensive staff ready to feast!!! VOLS can be a juggernaut and btw bring (Chaz Coleman) too!!!”
“Come on HOME to Rocky Top, Dejuan!! We want you on OUR team!” another user responded online.
“You can’t go wrong playing in front of 100,000 fans,” one commenter posted. “Welcome to BIG ORANGE COUNTY”
Lane hasn’t directly responded to Campbell’s post at the time of this publication, but he did acknowledge Gilliam’s post the day before. He posted a pair of thinking emojis to Gilliam’s post that tagged him and Coleman.
— Dejuan “ Joker🃏 ” Lane (@Dejuan24) January 9, 2026
More From RTI: Why Tennessee’s Linebacker Room Projects As A Strength After Landing Amare Campbell
Dejuan Lane is a 6-foot-2 safety out of Baltimore, MD. He’s played with Penn State for the last two seasons, racking up 44 career tackles, four pass deflections, and one interception. He was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.
Lane played his 2025 season under now-Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who made the move to Knoxville from Happy Valley this offseason. He also played directly under former Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who also made the switch from Penn State to Tennessee alongside Knowles. Whether you’re looking at coaches or players, there’s growing familiarity between Lane’s previous school and Tennessee.
This familiarity could help Tennessee in its pursuit of Lane, if that’s the direction the Vols are going. There are clear ties available that Tennessee can pull at, and it helps fill a needed spot on the Vols’ defensive roster.
