Tennessee football commit Brayden Rouse began his senior high school season Wednesday night as Kell knocked off South Paulding 44-21 in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.
Rouse is a two-way star for the Longhorns and projects as a linebacker in Knoxville. But the 6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect was making plays on the offensive side of the ball in the season opener, hauling in a 21-yard touchdown.
Four-star Vols LB commitment @BraydenRouse8 catches a 21-yard TD pass — his second score of the game — to give @Kell_Football a 28-7 lead over South Paulding in the second quarter of its season opener. pic.twitter.com/oD7Rgxv816
— Ryan Callahan (@RyanCallahan247) August 14, 2025
Rouse finished the season-opener hauling in five passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He led Kell is receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the win over South Paulding.
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The Atlanta native ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 87 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Rouse also ranks as the No. 4 linebacker and the No. 10 player in the state of Georgia in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Landing Rouse was one of the biggest recruiting wins in a summer full of recruiting wins for Josh Heupel and his staff. The Vols beat out Alabama, Michigan and Texas to land the blue-chip linebacker with most recruiting pundits believing Texas was the favorite to land the four-star before he committed to Tennessee.
The Vols have a strong linebacker class in 2026 including Rouse, four-star TJ White and three-star Braylon Outlaw. Tennessee football’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains 22 commitments and ranks No. 10 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
