Tennessee football has now landed two of the top five linebackers in the 2026 class.
On Tuesday, the Vols picked up the commitment of four-star Brayden Rouse. He ranks as the the No. 4 linebacker in the cycle and No. 68 overall recruit, according to 247’s rankings. Paired with recent commit TJ White, the No. 5 linebacker, Tennessee brings in a tandem of elite players for the middle of its defense.
Josh Heupel and William Inge also bring in three-star linebacker Braylon Outlaw at the position.
Rouse, the latest addition to the room, is entering his senior season at Kell in Marietta, Georgia. He was also considering Alabama, Michigan and Texas. This past summer, he got the chance to take official visits to each of his finalists.
The Vols got the final word, hosting Rouse from June 20-22 for his final visit of the stretch. Heupel and company clearly made the most of it, cementing an already strong standing to add him to the group.
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— Brayden Rouse ✰ (@BraydenRouse8) June 22, 2025
More From RTI: Watch These Elite Highlights From Tennessee LB Commit Brayden Rouse
Outside of his official visit, Rouse has made plenty of other trips to Knoxville. This includes time at the popular ‘865 Live’ event in May and for the annual Orange & White Spring Game in April. In January, he showed up for Junior Day, as well as a visit in December, November and October of 2024.
He initially picked up his offer on August 16, 2024. Along with his finalists, teams such as Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt also extended offers.
This is now the 19th commit in the 2026 class for Tennessee. According to 247, the Vols own the No. 14 class in the country following the commitment. This features the likes of five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon who ranks as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country and five-star offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda.
Rouse is now the top defensive commit in the class. Fellow linebacker, White, is the second-highest rated as the No. 86 player in the class. White’s high school teammate, defensive tackle Dereon Albert, checks in at No. 184 as another highly-touted defender committed to UT.
