Just last week, South Carolina expressed interest in Tennessee’s lone quarterback commit, Derrick Baker, by offering him a scholarship. It now looks like another current Tennessee 2027 commit is being pursued by other high-level programs.
According to a report from Rivals’ Chad Simmons this week, multiple programs are “pushing hard” for Tennessee four-star defensive line commit Kadin Fife. Some of these programs include Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Texas, and Ole Miss.
The 6-foot-5 defensive prospect originally committed to Tennessee on Nov. 11, 2025. He was the third prospect to join the Vols’ 2027 recruiting class behind three-star linebacker JP Peace and four-star offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo.
But while Fife has been committed to Tennessee for several months now, he did commit to a defensive staff that isn’t entirely in Knoxville anymore. Tennessee parted ways with defensive coordinator Tim Banks during the offseason, but new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles retained defensive line coach Rodney Garner on his new staff. Garner, who is listed as Fife’s primary recruiter on Rivals’ website, has been on Josh Heupel’s staff since the 2021 season.
In late January, head coach Josh Heupel traveled down to Chattooga High School in Summerville, GA, to check in on the UT commit. Fife posted a picture of the two together on social media while tagging numerous recruiting analysts.
@coachjoshheupel @DexPreps @TDARecruiting @jaxon_rose8 @JohnGarcia_Jr @samspiegs @SWiltfong_ @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @TomLuginbill @_DesJohnson @BuckFitz @NCEC_Recruiting @Rivals @On3 pic.twitter.com/hqnhpxM2kF
Advertisement— Kadin 4⭐️ (@kadddiinnn) January 21, 2026
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Rivals’ Industry Rankings tags Fife as a four-star prospect. He’s listed as the No. 367 player in the class, the No. 46 defensive lineman in the cycle, and the No. 41 player from the state of Georgia.
Fife took an unofficial visit to Tennessee on Nov. 18 and then committed to the Volunteers just three days later. He has a busy spring ahead, though. According to 247Sports, Fife has upcoming official visits scheduled to both Georgia (May 29) and Auburn (June 12).
It’s no surprise to see teams making a push for Fife, a talented prospect in the 2027 cycle with the potential to rise up the charts – especially from the in-state programs. It seems like Tennessee is going to have to work hard to keep the four-star prospect on its side, but having the commitment already is better than fighting the uphill battle for it.
Fife is one of six Tennessee commits in the 2027 cycle. He sits alongside four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, three-star ATH Jaden Butler, three-star LB JP Peace, and three-star QB Derrick Baker.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news.
