On Saturday morning, Tennessee football added one of its top-rated commitments to the 2027 class. Out of Oak Ridge, four-star tight end Malik Howard joined the group.
It was during his official visit to see the Vols that he broke the news to his upcoming head coach, Josh Heupel. During what appeared to be a dinner with the weekend’s visitors, Howard took the mic to make his announcement.
Here’s the video of him making his verbal pledge to stay home and join Tennessee.
The moment that four-star tight end Malik Howard committed to the #Vols
Tennessee adds a MASSIVE commitment with the in-state priority
(Video via Brayden Rouse) pic.twitter.com/VQUZX0FzUe
— Shayne Pickering (@shaynep_media) June 6, 2026
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Howard ranks as the No. 183 player in the 2027 class, via 247. He is the No. 8 tight end in the group and the No. 8 player out of the state of Tennessee. He is from Oak Ridge, just outside of Knoxville.
Howard also took an official visit to Alabama the weekend prior and had an official set to see Notre Dame next weekend. His primary recruit at Tennessee is tight ends coach Alec Abeln.
“Modern F-TE projection with the hands, fluidity and post-catch urgency to be a featured target in any passing attack,” 247 director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote. “Measured just under 6-foot-4, 225 pounds the summer before junior year. More notably, came in with a near 6-foot-10 wingspan. Sticky hands and superb body control lead to acrobatic grabs in traffic as he can float with his timing and make mid-flight adjustments.”
He is now the 10th commitment in the class for the Vols. According to 247 rankings, he is the third four-star in the class, joining fellow in-state recruits, wide receiver Kesean Bowman and offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo. The class ranks at No. 37 in the country.
