Tennessee football is looking to stay red-hot on the recruiting trail Friday night when offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz announces his college commitment. The four-star prospect is deciding between a top group of Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee and according to multiple recruiting experts, the Vols may be getting more good news.
Both On3’s Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong have logged expert predictions for the Vols to beat out the Buckeyes and Gamecocks for Shabazz’s services.
Shabazz ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 321 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-7, 295-pound prospect also ranks as the No. 30 offensive tackle and the No. 16 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
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The massive offensive tackle took official visits to all three of his final contenders as well as North Carolina, North Carolina State and Penn State. Shabazz official visit to Tennessee is his only visit to Knoxville while the four-star recruit has also taken three total visit to South Carolina. A standout at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, Shabazz helped lead the Eagles to a 13-1 record during his junior season.
Landing Shabazz would continue Tennessee football’s success recruiting the state of North Carolina under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols have landed a number of blue-chip recruits from the Tar Heel State in recent years including James Pearce Jr, Daevin Hobbs and David Sanders. Tennessee’s top rated commit in its 2026 recruiting class is five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, a Greensboro native.
Tennessee football’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains 20 commitments and has landed 11 of those commits in the last three weeks. The Vols hold commitments from two offensive linemen including high four-star offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda.
Landing Shabazz would bump Tennessee’s recruiting class from No. 13 to No. 12 nationally according to the 247sports team rankings.
