Tennessee welcoming major targets for showdown with South Carolina

Tennessee might just have its most football pivotal game of the Josh Huepel era this weekend when the Vols host South Carolina. On the field, Josh Heupel and Co. are desperately looking to avoid an 0-2 start in SEC play.

But it’s also a massive weekend for the Vols’ recruiting — in particular the 2024 class. Tennessee sits at No. 7 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and has some wind at its back with a few big targets down the stretch of the 2024 cycle.

A few of those recruits will be in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night, along with a host of Tennessee commits, as the Volunteers and Gamecocks face off.

Here are a few key visitors to keep an eye on:

5-star OT Jordan Seaton

The nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle in the On300 rankings, Jordan Seaton was set for an official visit to Oklahoma this weekend. Earlier this week though, he canceled that trip with no plans yet to reschedule and instead will be at Tennessee this weekend. The Volunteers are making a major push with Seaton, and he told On3’s Josh Newberg that he also plans to take an official visit to Knoxville later this fall.

Florida and Alabama seem to be the biggest contenders at this point, but it might be time to add Tennessee to that list after this weekend.

4-star CB Kam Mikell

Along with Seaton, four-star Statesboro (Ga.) cornerback Kam Mikell is among the biggest targets left on Tennessee’s board. The Vols were the first school to approach the dynamic playmaker about playing wide receiver at the next level, and he’s excited about the prospect of that. He recently took an official visit to Colorado, and Georgia, Texas A&M and Kentucky are a few other teams still in the mix. But Tennessee has some strong momentum at their back.

“Really, I just want to keep building on what we have,” Mikell told Volquest of what he hopes to get out of this weekend’s visit. “I want to see how I fit with them and just see how things go. Just really being around them and continuing to see what that is like for me.”

4-star RB Daniel Hill

A little more than a month ago, four-star Meridian (Miss.) running back Daniel Hill was ready to commit. And for all intents and purposes, it was expected to be South Carolina that won out. However, Hill postponed his decision indefinitely and Tennessee has emerged as a real threat to land him. Both the Gamecocks and Alabama have him very high on their board, but the Vols will have a chance to impress him with an official visit this weekend.

4-star ATH Boo Carter

The Vols’ staff was ecstatic when they kept in-state two-way star Boo Carter at home by landing his commitment back in June. Michigan and Colorado were among the other main contenders at that point, and the Buffaloes haven’t relented in their pursuit.

Carter visited Boulder earlier in the season, and Deion Sanders and his staff are always a threat with any prospect they get to visit campus. Carter has been very pro-Tennessee on social media and hasn’t given any signs that his commitment isn’t solid, but this will likely be one the Vols are sweating until ink hits paper.