Tennessee Football is looking to complete the recruitment of in-state running back Asa Barnes this week. The three-star prospect in the 2027 class is set to announce his collegiate decision on Wednesday night as he chooses between Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida State, and Southern Cal.
Barnes will officially announce his decision at 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night on Rivals’ YouTube channel.
Tennessee picked up momentum in the battle last week. Just 30 minutes after UT landed a commitment from five-star running back David Gabriel Georges last Wednesday night, Rivals‘ Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong both submitted predictions for Tennessee to land Barnes. The predictions came at 70% and 80%, respectively.
The Martin, TN, native from Westview High School is ranked as a three-star prospect on Rivals’ recruiting service, coming in as the No. 551 player in the class, the No. 40 running back in the cycle, and the No. 22 player from the state of Tennessee. The Vols’ coaching staff has gone out to the western part of the state to see Barnes multiple times. He’s also made trips to Knoxville to get a close look at Rocky Top. This included an official visit to UT on June 19. His primary recruiter with UT is running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
Tennessee has been talking to Barnes for more than a year now. The Vols hosted Barnes on an official visit on June 5, 2025, and offered him a scholarship the same day. The in-state prospect was also in Knoxville for the Georgia game last fall and the Orange & White game this past spring.
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Tennessee has had plenty of familiarity and success with three-star running backs during the Josh Heupel era. Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson were both tagged as three-star prospects during their recruitments, and flourished into thousand-yard single-season rushers on Rocky Top. Sampson wound up setting Tennessee’s all-time single-season rushing mark at 1,491 yards and single-season rushing touchdowns mark at 22 during the 2025 season. Additionally, the Vols return former walk-on running back DeSean Bishop this season, who also ran for 1,000+ yards last year.
Even with Gabriel Georges in the mix, Tennessee’s emphasis and dedication to running the football make it an intriguing program for any running back prospect – especially one from the Volunteer State.
Tennessee has made a big emphasis on recruiting well within its borders during the Heupel era. In the 2027 class, it’s paid off so far with commitments from five-star RB David Gabriel Georges, four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star LB Kenneth Simon II, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, and four-star TE Malik Howard.
Tennessee Football’s 18-man class currently ranks 24th in the nation and 10th in the SEC on Rivals. A commitment from Barnes on Wednesday night would propel the Vols’ class even higher in the Top 25 rankings.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live coverage of Asa Barnes’ commitment on Wednesday night.
