Tennessee Football lost a longtime commit from its 2027 recruiting class on Wednesday evening. According to a report from Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett, four-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife has de-committed from Tennessee Football.
Fife is listed as a four-star prospect in Rivals’ rankings. He’s also tagged as the No. 364 player in the class, the No. 37 defensive lineman in the cycle, and the No. 19 player from the state of Alabama. He previously played for Chattooga High School in Summerville, GA, but Rivals now lists him at Cherokee County High School in Centre, AL.
Fife originally committed to Tennessee on Nov. 21, 2025, after an unofficial visit to Knoxville. He was the third member of the Vols’ class when he committed. Since then, he’s picked up several Power 4 offers, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Ole Miss, Florida, and Arkansas. Additionally, he’s taken three official visits over the last few weeks to Ole Miss, Tennessee, and, most recently, Georgia.
Back in April, Rivals’ Chad Simmons reported that multiple programs, including Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Texas, and Ole Miss, were pushing hard for the then-Tennessee commit. But while Fife had been committed to Tennessee for several months now, he did commit to a defensive staff that isn’t entirely in Knoxville anymore. Tennessee parted ways with defensive coordinator Tim Banks during the offseason, but new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles retained defensive line coach Rodney Garner on his new staff. Garner, who is listed as Fife’s primary recruiter from Tennessee on Rivals’ website, has been on Josh Heupel’s staff since the 2021 season.
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Fife’s decommitment on Wednesday brings Tennessee’s class down to 15 total prospects. He was the fifth-highest ranked player in the Vols’ class before the news. His departure from the Vols’ class also now leaves just JUCO defensive lineman Christian Mays as the Vols’ lone defensive line commit at this point in the cycle.
Prior to his decommitment, Fife was heavily involved in Tennessee’s recruiting news online. He retweeted posts about several of Tennessee’s new commitments over the last few weeks, with the most recent one coming on June 9th after Mays’ commitment.
Fife’s news is an unfortunate loss for Tennessee on the recruiting trail, but the Vols still have plenty of time to continue assembling their class over the coming months. Tennessee’s 15-man class ranks No. 32 in the nation after Fife’s decommitment on Wednesday evening.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news and coverage.
