Tennessee football has positioned itself nicely in the hunt to land one of the top safety recruits in the 2027 class. Kaleb Elkins listed the Vols alongside Indiana, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Missouri and Oregon as his top six schools, according to a report from Rivals.
Elkins is considered a four-star recruit and the No. 273 prospect in the country, via 247 Composite. He is ranked as the No. 25 safety in the 2027 cycle. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds as he enters his senior season.
Elkins is out of Indianapolis, Indiana. He plays for Warren Central, which is the same school that incoming Tennessee freshman JJ Finch is from. Finch flipped his commitment from Alabama to the Vols late in the cycle before signing and early enrolling.
NEWS: Four-Star Safety Kaleb Elkins is down to 6 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’3 185 S from Indianapolis, IN is ranked as the No. 1 DB in Indiana in the 2027 Rivals300⁰⁰Where Should He Go?https://t.co/rnvScYSrqd pic.twitter.com/fHriKwFYrZ
Advertisement— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 10, 2026
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The recruitment of Elkins will be spearheaded by a new defensive staff. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter will look to finish the recruitment that former UT defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks started.
Tennessee is off to a strong start in the 2027 cycle. So far, UT has landed four commitments in the class. The Vols boast four-star offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo as the headliner, with four-star Kadin Fife also in the boat. However, Fife is apparently back in the evaluation process after defensive staff changes.
Three-star quarterback Derrick Baker and legacy linebacker JP Peace are also committed. More commitments are expected to roll in throughout the offseason as the class heats up, though.
This comes after Tennessee landed the No. 4 class in the country and No. 2 in the SEC via 247 in the 2026 cycle.
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