With the vast majority of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class signed and in Knoxville, the time for rankings and ratings is over. It’s now time for these young prospects to prove themselves on the field during offseason workouts and practices.
That doesn’t mean the news cycle for the recruiting rankings is over, though. Over the last week, we’ve seen both Rivals and ESPN release final updates to their class of 2026 player and team rankings.
247Sports released its final rankings update on Monday morning with some interesting notes on the Tennessee side of things. Ultimately, Tennessee finishes the cycle with three five-star prospects, 10 four-star prospects, and 16 three-star prospects. Tennessee’s three five-star signees include quarterback Faizon Brandon, wide receiver TK Keys, and offensive tackle Gabiel Osenda.
In 247Sports’ post-update rankings, Tennessee lands the No. 4 class in the country. The Vols sit only behind Southern Cal, Alabama, and Oregon, while landing ahead of other prominent foes such as Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami, Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M.
247’s team rankings do not weigh in other publications’ ratings, and are only calculated from its own updated player rankings on Monday. In comparison, Tennessee’s landing spot in 247Sports’ Industry Rankings, which combines all major platforms, is at No. 10 in the nation.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football QB Signee Faizon Brandon Jumped by Vanderbilt QB in Final 247 Rankings
Tennessee’s spot at No. 4 in the rankings is by far the highest that Heupel has landed during his time in Knoxville. His 2022 class came in at No. 14, the 2023 class landed at No. 10, the 2024 class finished at No. 11, and the 2025 class ended at No. 11.
Despite the volatility of college football these days, Tennessee’s 2026 class could have some program-changing players in its midst. Brandon, Keys, and Osenda have the chance at being highly-productive players in Heupel’s offense, while defensive players such as TJ White, Brayden Rouse, and Joel Wyatt could help Tennessee establish an improved defense under Jim Knowles in the coming years. It’ll now be up to Tennessee’s coaching staff to develop and evolve these players for the future, but the Vols have loaded up with plenty of raw talent in this cycle.
Tennessee signed 27 players in the class with 24 already enrolled at UT. The Vols have two more players who are committed to the program without signing, plus their 21-man signing class out of the transfer portal. All in all, there’s a lot of new talent coming to Rocky Top in the near future.
For the full list of 247Sports’ team rankings following Monday’s update, click here.
