Tennessee jumps in updated On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

Tennessee continues to rise in the latest On3 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings after its latest big-time commitment on Monday night.

Birmingham (Ala.) Vestavia Hills four-star EDGE Jordan Ross became the newest member of the Vols’ commit list by choosing Tennessee over Alabama, Texas and Florida. His pledge also moved Tennessee up three spots past Michigan, LSU and Texas A&M into the No. 6 slot in the team rankings.

Ross is the No. 34 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the nation’s No. 4 EDGE and the No. 5 recruit in the state of Alabama.

“Everyone loves it at Tennessee, and the program is on the way up,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons. “The recruits are coming in, and Tennessee is going to compete with Alabama, Georgia and programs like that for SEC and national championships. They are there now and the program is only getting better and stronger.”

Warren joins slew of offensive talent committed to the Vols

With the commitment of Ross, Tennessee now has 20 total pledges in its class, 14 of which are four or five-stars. And five of of the 14 are projected to play on the defensive side of the ball.

Ross is the second highest-ranked commit, behind Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews. Nashville Lipscomb four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley, Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger, Aiken (S.C.) four-star WR Braylon Staley and Franklin (Ga.) IMG Academy four-star tight end Jonathan Echols are among the other commits who currently rank as top-200 prospects nationally.

Tennessee pushing for a couple more big commitments

After landing Ross, the Vols will now turn their attention to a couple of other major targets in this class — namely five-star receiver Ryan Wingo and top-100 EDGE Danny Okoye.

Okoye recently named his top schools, and Tennessee is trending at the top along with Oklahoma. The Vols have hosted Okoye for a string of unofficial visits this offseason, and in the process the top-100 EDGE has grown comfortable with multiple members of the coaching staff. That includes Mike Ekeler, Rodney Garner, Coach Chop (Levorn Harbin) and Josh Heupel.

“The communication level has been off the charts with how much attention they give me — not just as an athlete but as a person,” Okoye told On3’s Sam Spiegelman. “The coaches are always helpful, always informative, and always looking for ways to help out. The staff, from the coaches down to the assistants, it’s like meeting a new friend after a long time. I always love spending time with them. The fan base is one of the most intense in college football and I just really like being over there.”

… One thing about Tennessee for football players is everything is efficient,” he continued. “They take the time to make sure everything you need is right where you need it and is as easily accessible as possible. Everything is centralized and I don’t like unpredictability, so I can really appreciate that from a personal standpoint.”