After landing 11 commitments over the last three weeks, Tennessee will look to keep that momentum rolling this weekend.
The Volunteers are one of three finalists for 2026 offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz, who is set to announce his commitment on Friday night.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound prospect will choose between Tennessee, South Carolina, and Ohio State when he reveals his decision at 6:00 p.m. ET on his Instagram account.
Shabazz lands as a four-star prospect in On3 Sports’ rankings, coming in as the No. 56 player in the nation and the No. 6 offensive tackle in the class. He’s also tagged as the No. 7 player from the state of North Carolina, playing ball at East Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem.
Tennessee and offensive line coach Glen Elarbee is hoping that Shabazz lands as the Vols’ third offensive line commit in the 2026 cycle. UT already has commitments from four/five-star offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda and three-star offensive lineman Edward Baker, but a commitment from Shabazz would go a long way in bolstering the Vols’ trenches for the class.
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Shabazz has taken official visits to all three of his finalists in recent weeks. South Carolina landed the earliest on May 30, followed by Tennessee on June 13 and Ohio State on June 20.
We’ll have to wait and see his decision on Friday night to know for sure, but it does look like the Vols are trending in the right direction. On3 Sports Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons and VP of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong both predicted Tennessee with a 60% confidence level for Shabazz’s services on Tuesday night, suggesting that Josh Heupel’s Vols might be the lead horse in the race in the closing days. The pair of predictions also gives Tennessee a commanding 91.7% chance on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, though that’s still just an estimation overall.
Tennessee has added three commitments this week with four-star linebacker Brayden Rouse, three-star safety Jowell Combay, and three-star athlete Javonte Smith. The Vols will look to keep the recruiting trail rolling this weekend in the hopes of landing offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz to the 2026 class.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more on Shabazz’s commitment on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. ET.
