Tennessee football picked up a special teams commitment on Friday night as long snapper Sam McKeown committed to Josh Heupel and his staff.
“First, I’d like to thank God for giving me this opportunity and chance to play football at the next level,” McKeown wrote. “I’d like to thank my parents for all of the support they have given me the past couple of years. I would like to thank Jenks Football and the coaches for shaping me into the person I am today. I would like to thank Kohls and Coach Casper for getting my name out there and getting me to this point. Thank you Coach Crab and Coach Heupel for believing me and letting me play for this great program. Go Vols!”
GBO🍊@JenksFootball @CoachAdamGaylor @_CoachGreenwood @landismorris_iv @CoachCrab @coachjoshheupel @andrew_mctighe @RecruitJenksFB @KohlsSnapping @KohlsKicking @KohlsHighlights @Coach_Casper pic.twitter.com/6w500mVQgF
— Sam McKeown (@SamMcKeown09) May 22, 2026
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Reportedly Still Looking To Flip Five-Star SEC Commit
McKeown ranks as a five-star and the No. 2 long snapper in the 2027 recruiting cycle according to Kohl’s who ranks high school specialists.
“McKeown’s rare combination of athleticism and elite snapping talent were evident throughout the 2025 Kohl’s Texas Winter Showcase,” Kohl’s wrote. “He completed the charting session with an average snap time of .66 seconds and finished 3rd in the country for the 2027 class. McKeown is one of the best all-around prospects to come through Kohl’s Snapping.
“He is tall, with long levers and runs extremely well. McKeown is 6’4″ and ran a 4.88-second 40-yard dash. McKeown checks every box a coach could ever want in their starting snapper. He is college ready right now and is just starting to see what he’s truly capable of.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound long snapper plays at Jenks High School in Oklahoma where he was apart of a Trojans team that posted a 10-2 record in his junior season.
More From RTI: Anonymous SEC Coaches Share Honest Thoughts on Tennessee Football’s 2026 Outlook
Tennessee has two long snappers on its roster for this upcoming season: redshirt senior Bennett Brady and redshirt junior Blake Howard. Brady is a returning starter while Howard transferred to Tennessee from Eastern Kentucky this offseason as a multi-purpose special teams contributor.
With Brady out of eligibility after this season, McKeown could compete for the starting position in his freshman season and will be in a particularly strong spot to start by his sophomore season.
Tennessee football’s 2027 recruiting class currently contains nine commitments and ranks No. 30 nationally and No. 10 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
