Tennessee climbs in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings

Tennessee notched a massive win on the recruiting trail Friday by landing a commitment from Concord (N.C.) Jay M. Robinson five-star defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs. His decision elevated the Volunteers’ 2023 recruiting class to No. 11 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

Tennessee’s group, which also ranks No. 5 in the SEC, rose three spots from No. 14. It now contains 23 players.

Hobbs is the No. 80 overall prospect and No. 8 defensive lineman in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 2 player in North Carolina.

On3 rates Hobbs higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2023 On300, he is the No. 20 overall prospect, No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 2 player in North Carolina.

For more Tennessee recruiting intel, check out Volquest.

Hobbs is the latest member of Tennessee’s talented class

Hobbs is the Volunteers’ third commitment this month alongside Pike Road (Ala.) three-star interior offensive lineman Vysen Lang and Birmingham (Ala.) Parker three-star running back Khalifa Keith. A 6-foot-2, 206-pound tailback, Keith announced his pledge to head coach Josh Heupel and his staff five days ago.

Landing Hobbs is a massive win for the Volunteers, who now have three top-100 commits that play in the front seven. Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale four-star EDGE Caleb Herring and Platte City (Mo.) four-star EDGE Chandavian Bradley are the others.

Meanwhile, Heupel holds a pledge from Long Beach (Calif.) Warren five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 10 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus. Iamaleava is rated even higher by On3 as the No. 2 overall prospect in the On300.

Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland four-star athlete Cameron Seldon, Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill four-star tight end Ethan Davis, Raleigh (N.C.) Millbrook four-star wide receiver Nathan Leacock and Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark four-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov are a few more of Tennessee’s blue-chip offensive commitments. All four of them are ranked in the top 300 of the On3 Consensus.

The Volunteers are still contending for multiple blue-chip recruits. One of them is Saint Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy five-star EDGE Samuel M’Pemba, the No. 24 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus. M’Pemba is committing on Dec. 4 and will be choosing between Florida, Georgia, Miami and Tennessee.