One of Tennessee football’s top in-state recruiting targets for the 2027 class has set his official commitment date. On July 29, running back Asa Barnes will pick between the Vols, Arkansas, Florida State and USC, according to Rivals.
The commitment will air on the Rivals YouTube channel, available for fans to watch live. It will air at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT.
Barnes ranks as a three-star recruit, according to 247 Composite. He is the No. 551 player in the cycle, No. 33 running back and No. 24 player from the state of Tennessee. He is from Martin, Tennessee, where he plays for Westview High School.
🚨NEWS🚨 RB Asa Barnes will announce his commitment live on the Rivals YouTube channel on July 29📺
His finalists are Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida State and USC.
Read: https://t.co/MWyp57n7ri pic.twitter.com/rioUZX5iEx
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 8, 2026
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Tennessee’s coaching staff has gone out to the western part of the state to see Barnes multiple times. He’s also made his trip to Knoxville to get a close look at Rocky Top. This featured an official visit to UT on June 19. His primary recruiter with UT is running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
Currently, there are no crystal ball or insider predictions for Barnes’ commitment. However, Rivals lists Tennessee with a 50.3% chance to land the back.
The Vols currently hold 16 commitments in the 2027 class. This ranks as the No. 43 group in the country and No. 14 in the SEC on 247. While there are no running backs committed to Tennessee in the class at this point, the Vols are chasing one of the top backs in the cycle. Five-star and in-state prospect David Gabriel Georges listed Tennessee as a finalist and is set to commit just a week ahead of Barnes.
