Josh Heupel didn’t have to go very far to check in on one of Tennessee’s recruiting targets in the 2027 class on Wednesday. In reality, it was just about an 11-mile drive north from Tennessee’s campus and stadium.
Halls High School safety Jarrell Chandler posted a picture of himself and Heupel to X on Wednesday morning. Chandler is a four-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class who named Tennessee as one of the schools in his Top 10 finalists group last month. The other programs included Vanderbilt, Maryland, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Missouri, and SMU.
Thanks for stopping by @coachjoshheupel 🍊@PennySmith_ @CoachHughes56 @ChadSimmons_ @TomLoy247 @AustinPriceless pic.twitter.com/WbqHBk3G4E
— Jarrell Chandler (@JarrellChandle2) January 21, 2026
According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Chandler lands as the No. 323 player in the class, the No. 31 safety in the cycle, and the 12th-ranked player from the state of Tennessee. During his junior season at Halls, Chandler recorded 109 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 23 pass break-ups, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, and one interception. The two-way player also showed off his athleticism with 766 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Here’s a look at what the 6-foot-3 safety did during the 2025 season with the Red Devils:
Junior season 🎬⬇️https://t.co/rDNTgKRrpV
109 tackles,13 tfls,23 PBU’s 1 int
4 fumble recoveries ,3 forced fumbles
766 yards receiving (7 TD)@CoachHughes56 @HallsHighSports @Grade_aTraining @PennySmith_ @CharlesPower @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @TomLoy247 @SWiltfong_ pic.twitter.com/DWBQ8sslmtAdvertisement— Jarrell Chandler (@JarrellChandle2) November 30, 2025
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Heupel has always wanted to protect the state’s borders from a recruiting perspective. The Vols signed six of the Top 11 players in the state and nine players overall from the state of Tennessee in the 2026 signing class. Some of those names included five-star OT Gabriel Osenda (No. 2), four-star ATH Joel Wyatt (No. 3), four-star OT Kamari Blair (No. 5), four-star EDGE Zach Groves (No. 6), four-star DB Zay Anderson (No. 7), and four-star WR Tyreek King (No. 11).
Tennessee has also already picked up two players from the Volunteer State in the 2027 recruiting class, with four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo (Murfreesboro, TN) and three-star LB JP Peace (Knoxville, TN).
With the talented Chandler being so close to the Vols’ program, it’s no surprise that Tennessee is making a push to land him in the 2027 cycle. Tennessee reportedly extended Chandler a scholarship offer back in April 2025 while on a visit for one of the Vols’ spring camp practices. According to 247Sports, Chandler was also in Neyland Stadium for the Vols’ games against Georgia and Arkansas last season.
A big change for his recruitment, though, revolves around Tennessee’s new-look coaching staff. Since the end of the regular season, Tennessee has overhauled parts of its staff on the defensive side of the ball. The biggest move was when Tennessee brought in Jim Knowles to fill its vacant defensive coordinator position in December. Knowles added Anthony Poindexter, who previously served as a top assistant with him at Penn State, as Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. These are now two of the key pieces in Tennessee’s recruiting effort and showing Chandler what his role could look like in the Vols’ secondary down the road.
Tennessee currently has four players committed to its 2027 recruiting class. Including the previously mentioned Uwaifo and Peace, Tennessee also has commitments from three-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife and three-star cornerback Kamuari Whitfield. 247Sports has the Vols’ 2027 class ranked 14th in the nation in the early stages of the ’27 cycle.
