Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers are squarely in the battle for a blue-chip offensive prospect in the 2027 recruiting class. Tennessee took a big step forward in the recruiting process on Thursday, according to a social media post on Thursday.
Sean Tatum, a four-star offensive tackle in the ’27 class, released his Top 5 finalists on Thursday afternoon. Tennessee was one of the teams that made the list. Tatum’s Top 5 also included Florida, Miami, Ohio State, and Florida State.
Tennessee will have to beat out multiple in-state programs to land the Florida native, though. He currently plays for John Carroll High School in Fort Pierce, FL.
247Sports’ Composite Rankings have Tatum as the No. 120 overall player in the class, the No. 4 interior offensive lineman in the cycle, and the No. 12 player from the state of Florida. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound prospect has 21 total offers.
Tennessee has commitments from three offensive linemen in the 2026 cycle, but only one is projected as an interior player, three-star IOL Edward Baker. The Vols’ other two offensive line commits include four-star OT Gabriel Osenda and four-star OT Kamari Blair. A future commitment from Tatum would help bolster the interior of the Vols’ line for years to come.
I’m truly blessed to be in this position. Thankful to God, my family, coaches, teachers, and friends who’ve supported me along the way. Here are my current Top 5 schools. @CfbRalb @CoachGroody17 @CoachJMolina @JCGoldenRams @TomLoy247 @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/qBwPPxfrsk
— Sean Tatum (@BigSean_74) September 18, 2025
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With the 2026 cycle coming to an end in the next few months, more and more storylines from the 2027 cycle have begun to surface. Tennessee will look to build on a likely Top 10 2026 recruiting class with another crop of talented players in the 2027 cycle. The Vols appear to be going after some highly-ranked targets in the class, including WR Kesean Bowman, RB David Gabriel Georges, LB Kaden Henderson, OT Princeton Uwaifo, EDGE D.J. Jacobs, and plenty more.
Tennessee currently has the No. 8 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings. Click here to see how the Vols’ top commits stack up in all three major publications.
