It was a big summer for Josh Heupel and his staff on the recruiting trail, but no recruiting win was more impressive than Tennessee plucking blue-chip linebacker Brayden Rouse out of the Peach State. One of the top linebackers in the country, Rouse received another honor this week with the Navy All-American Bowl announcing Rouse will compete in the annual game this January.The Navy All-American Bowl, formally known as the Army All-American Bowl, is one of the top high school all-star games in the country along with the Under Armor All-American game and the Polynesian Bowl. The 2026 Navy All-American Bowl is on Jan. 10 in San Antonio with a week of practice beforehand.
Rouse ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 87 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. He also ranks as the No. 4 overall linebacker and No. 10 player in the state of Georgia in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
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A standout at Kell High School in Atlanta, Rouse committed to Tennessee football in July over a top group that included Alabama, Michigan and Texas. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker kept his recruitment close to the vest with most predicting Rouse to commit to Texas before he chose the Vols.
The defensive standout also plays tight end at Kell and showed off his skills on that side of the ball last week, catching five passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 44-21 win over South Paulding.
Tennessee football has recruited inside linebacker extremely well since adding coach William Inge to its staff ahead of the 2024 season. The Vols landed four-stars Christian Gass, Jadon Harmon and Jaedon Perlotte in the 2025 cycle and has landed Rouse, four-star TJ white and three-star Braylon Outlaw in the 2026 cycle to date.
Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains 21 commitments and ranks No. 11 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
