For a second straight weekend, Tennessee Football has had itself a standout recruiting stretch. On Saturday, Tennessee picked up two four-star commitments to add to its 2027 class.
Then, on Monday, the Vols added to their class one again with a commitment from an in-state three-star prospect who was previously committed to Florida State. This now makes six new commitments, three of which are from four-star prospects, for Tennessee over the last 10 days.
Tennessee began Saturday with a splash in the SEC landscape. The Vols flipped four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, the son of former Tennessee standout Kevin Simon, away from the Alabama Crimson Tide. Simon had previously been committed to Kalen DeBoer’s group since May 11.
Then, just a few hours later, Tennessee beat out Virginia and Virginia Tech for four-star offensive tackle Q’Mari Hudson. The strong lineman was in Knoxville for an official visit last weekend and felt good enough to move up his commitment date and lock his spot in the Vols’ 2027 class.
There was buzz throughout the weekend that Tennessee was making a push for in-state athlete Dayon Cooper during his official visit in Knoxville on Friday. That buzz only ramped up when he officially decommitted from Florida State on Sunday, leading to a commitment to UT on Monday. Cooper is a freak athlete who was named the Tennessee Titans Division 1A Mr. Football selection as just a junior this past December.
These three commitments moved Tennessee up from No. 33 overall on Friday to No. 26 overall on Monday, according to Rivals’ rankings. Additionally, Tennessee moved up from No. 48 to No. 35 in 247Sports’ team rankings after the moves.
More From RTI: Tennessee Target Decommits From Florida State After Official Visit With the Vols
Tennessee’s three recent commitments also come after landing three new commitments during the previous weekend. During a big recruiting event in Knoxville on June 5-7, Tennessee landed commitments from four-star tight end Malik Howard, three-star CB Dylan Haley, and JUCO defensive lineman Christian Mays.
The ranking outside of the Top 25 might still be a little concerning for some fans, but it’s still so early in the cycle that it shouldn’t be all that worrisome. Tennessee has plenty of time to continue targeting the guys it is looking at and assuredly still has plenty of room to work with. Taking a closer look at last year’s Top 10 recruiting class, many of Tennessee’s top commitments came from June to August.
Tennessee’s class now has 16 total commitments after the three recent additions. Rivals has Tennessee with five four-star prospects and nine three-star prospects, while 247Sports has the Vols with four four-star players and nine three-star prospects.
There are a few big differences between the two organizations. For one, Rivals has DL Kadin Fife listed as a four-star prospect, while 247 has him as a three-star. Additionally, 247 has Tennessee with a commitment from kicker Ford Fehling, while Rivals does not include that. Rivals lists long snapper Sam McKeown as a three-star prospect, while 247 has him unranked.
Tennessee’s class through 16 commitments is as follows:
WR Kesean Bowman (TN)
- Rivals: 4-star
- 247: 4-star
- ESPN: 4-star
LB Kenneth Simon II (TN)
- Rivals: 4-star
- 247: 4-star
- ESPN: 4-star
TE Malik Howard (TN)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 4-star
- ESPN: 4-star
OT Princeton Uwaifo (TN)
- Rivals: 4-star
- 247: 4-star
- ESPN: 4-star
DL Kadin Fife (GA)
- Rivals: 4-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
OT Q’Mari Hudson (VA)
- Rivals: 4-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
S Jaden Butler (TN)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
LB JP Peace (TN)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
CB Brandon “Slim” Leavell (TN)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
ATH Dayon Cooper (TN)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
CB Dylan Haley (GA)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
QB Derrick Baker (GA)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
CB Carter Jamison (GA)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: 3-star
- ESPN: 3-star
DL Christian Mays (JUCO)
- Rivals: Unranked
- 247: Unranked
LS Sam McKeown (OK)
- Rivals: 3-star
- 247: Unranked
K Ford Fehling (NC)
- Rivals: Unlisted
- 247: Unranked
