Tennessee football capped off a fantastic month on the recruiting trail with the biggest splash of the month Thursday, upsetting Utah to land blue-chip athlete Salesi Moa from Ogden, Utah.
The Vols entered the month with 23 commitments and had finished the month of June strong. Tennessee then caught fire in July, landing 10 commits including from six four-star recruits. Three of Tennessee’s four highest rated commits and five of its nine highest rated commits announced their decision in July, rocketing Tennessee’s recruiting class into the top 10 nationally.
So what’s next for Tennessee on the recruiting trail? Things should slow down a bit, especially In the next two weeks. But there’s a pair of highly touted Tennessee targets announcing their commitment in August.
First is five-star running back Savion Hiter who plans on announcing his college commitment on Aug. 19. Hiter ranks as the No. 9 player and the No. 1 running back in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Vols have long coveted Hiter and have been one of the top contenders in his recruitment for months.
Hiter is down to a top group that includes Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee. But this is truly a battle between the Vols and Wolverines to land the nation’s top rated uncommitted prospect according to recruiting experts.
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Just a few days after Hiter announces his commitment, five-star offensive guard Darius Gray will announce his decision. Gray ranks as the No. 30 player and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Gray is down to a top group that includes Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee. LSU and South Carolina have largely been viewed as the co-favorites to land the blue-chip prospect, but Tennessee is the wildcard who is seemingly making a late push.
Ironically, Hiter and Gray are both from Virginia— a state Tennessee has not oft recruited under Josh Heupel. Hiter is a Mineral native while Gray hails from Richmond. Mineral is a small town that sits between Charlottesville and Richmond. Hiter’s Louisa County High School is 47 miles from Gray’s St. Christopher’s School.
Hiter and Gray are the two major upcoming decisions for Tennessee, but all eyes remain on five-star LSU receiver commit Tristen Keys. The Vols have long been working to flip the nation’s top receiver.
Tennessee football’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains 23 commits and ranks No. 9 nationally and No. xx in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
