Tennessee football signed 28 players in its 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday to begin the early signing period. It’s the best signing class of Josh Heupel’s tenure in Knoxville and flipping recruits committed to other schools was a major part of it.
The Vols flipped seven recruits and added another commit who was previously committed to a different SEC school. That means over 25% of Tennessee’s signing class was previously committed to a different school. Here’s a look at the recruits the Vols’ flipped in their 2026 recruiting class.
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Recruits Tennessee Flipped
Tristen Keys, Receiver
Keys was one of the top targets for Tennessee from the very jump which made it disappointing when he committed to LSU over Tennessee back in March. But the Vols never stopped recruiting Keys and eventually flipped him back in August.
Keys ranks as a five-star recruit, the No. 11 player and No. 2 receiver in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Kamari Blair, Offensive Tackle
Tennessee appeared poised to land the Clarksville offensive tackle back in July, but the blue-chip recruit chose South Carolina instead. It didn’t take Blair long to change his mind, flipping to Tennessee just over a month later.
Blair ranks as a four-star recruit, the No. 152 player and No. 15 offensive tackle in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Hezekiah Harris, Edge Rusher
Harris committed to Auburn, where his brother was on the team, back in July 2024. After taking visiting to Tennessee and Florida, the Huntsville native flipped to Tennessee on September 1, 2025.
Harris ranks as a four-star recruit, the No. 165 player and No. 21 edge rusher in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Luca Wolf, Tight End
An Austria native who plays at the NFL Global Academy in London, Wolf visited and quickly committed to Cal back in June. Wolf then visited Tennessee for the Oklahoma game and flipped his commitment just a few days later.
Wolf ranks as a three-star recruit, the No. 1,386 player and No. 82 tight end rusher in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Carter Gooden, Edge Rusher
Gooden committed to DeShaun Foster and his staff at UCLA back in July. The Massachusetts native never de-committed from UCLA after they fired Foster but he did visit Vanderbilt and Tennessee before flipping to the Vols on signing day.
Gooden ranks as a four-star recruit, the No. 147 player and No. 17 edge rusher in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Legend Bey, Receiver
No one in Tennessee’s class had a more dramatic recruitment than Bey. He committed to Tennessee in July, flipped to Ohio State in November and flipped back to Tennessee on signing day after the Buckeyes’ receivers coach Brian Hartline accepted the head coaching job at South Florida.
Bey ranks as a four-star recruit, the No. 175 player and No. 9 athlete in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
JJ Finch, Defensive Lineman
Finch committed to Alabama over Miami, Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee back in June. But the Vols never backed off the defensive tackle from Indianapolis before he flipped to the Vols on signing day.
Finch ranks as a three-star recruit, the No. 573 player and No. 64 defensive lineman in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
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Tennessee Added One Commit Who Previously De-Committed From Another School
Four-star edge rusher Jordan Carter was a long time Texas A&M commit before back off his commitment in early November. Carter reset his board and took visits to Auburn, Georgia Tech and Tennessee before committing to the Vols on signing day.
Tennessee Commits Flipped To Other Schools
Tennessee did have a handful of one-time commits either flip or de-commit and end up at other schools.
The big one came on signing day when four-star athlete Salesi Moa, a top 100 recruit, flipped from Tennessee to Utah. Three-star tight end Carson Sneed flipped from Tennessee to North Carolina in the summer. Four-star offensive tackle JB Shabazz flipped from Tennessee to North Carolina in September.
Three-star linebacker Braylon Outlaw was a one-time Tennessee commit who ended up signing with Georgia Tech. Three-star offensive guard Brandon Anderson was a one-time Tennessee commit who ended up signing with Missouri.
