Tennessee football is one of the 12 schools still in the race for the commitment of one of the top safeties in the 2027 class. Semaj Stanford released his top dozen schools, featuring the Vols, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami and Ohio State.
Stanford is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and plays for Broken Arrow High School. 247 lists him at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds heading into his senior year.
Stanford ranks as the No. 84 player in the class, according to 247. He is the No. 6 safety in the cycle and the No. 4 player from the state of Oklahoma.
Top 12‼️ #WHEREISHOME pic.twitter.com/wbz02cHK6z
— Semaj Stanford (@SemajStanford4) January 17, 2026
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Tennessee extended its offer to Stanford on May 6, 2025. Tim Banks, the Vols’ defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the time, was the one to offer. However, Banks was let go and is now at Auburn. Now, it’s Jim Knowles as the defensive coordinator and Anthony Poindexter as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Tennessee already holds four commitments in the 2027 class. This includes four-star tackle Princeton Uwaifo, four-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife, three-star linebacker JP Peace and three-star cornerback Kamauri Whitfield. The class is still young, though, and plenty more commitments are expected to trickle in over the next year.
Tennessee is coming off an extremely strong 2026 class, as well. The Vols landed 28 commitments in the class, with 27 signed in the early signing period and a local prospect committing just days ago. This was headlined by a trio of five-star prospects, quarterback Faizon Brandon, wide receiver TK Keys and offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda. The group ranks fifth in the country on 247.
