Tennessee football’s new cornerback coach, Michael Hunter Jr., is already out on the recruiting trail. On Jan. 20, he went to Texas to see four-star cornerback target Montre Jackson at his high school.
A couple of weeks later, on Jan. 31, Jackson released his top eight schools after a string of teams went to see him. This list of top contenders included the Vols, alongside Texas, Oklahoma, Duke, SMU, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. LSU, Penn State, Michigan and Arkansas also visited him, but weren’t included in his list.
Jackson is considered the No. 168 recruit in the country on 247. He is the No. 19 cornerback and No. 23 player from the state of Texas on the site, as well.
Where’s Home?? 🏡 pic.twitter.com/Fbuok6S9Bk
— Montre Jackson |’27 (@M2ntre) January 31, 2026
More From RTI: Tennessee Football QB Target Predicted to Commit to Alex Golesh, Auburn Instead
Jackson has an official visit set up to see Tennessee on June 19. However, according to 247, the team to beat seems to be his home-state school, Texas. He picked up his Longhorns offer this January, though, while the Vols have been on him for quite some time.
Tennessee extended its offer back in April of this past year. That offer came from then-defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez, but the new regime of Jim Knowles and Hunter is clearly still high on him.
Tennessee already holds four commitments in the 2027 class. This includes four-star tackle Princeton Uwaifo, four-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife, three-star linebacker JP Peace and three-star cornerback Kamauri Whitfield. The class is still young, though, and plenty more commitments are expected to trickle in over the next year.
The Vols are coming off an extremely strong 2026 class, as well. Tennessee landed 29 commitments in the class, with 27 signed in the early signing period and two local prospects committing recently. This was headlined by a trio of five-star prospects, quarterback Faizon Brandon, wide receiver TK Keys and offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda. The group ranks fourth in the country on 247.
