Tennessee moves up in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings

Tennessee landed two wins on the recruiting trail Sunday when Platte City (Mo.) four-star EDGE Chandavian Bradley and Loganville (Ga.) Grayson three-star linebacker Jalen Smith committed to the Volunteers.

Bradley and Smith’s pledges moved Tennessee’s class to No. 8 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Volunteers’ class is ranked No. 3 in the SEC behind Alabama and Georgia.

Bradley chose Tennessee over South Carolina and Texas A&M. Smith selected the Volunteers over programs including Pittsburgh, Texas and Virginia. Their commitments elevated Tennessee four spots to No. 12. The Volunteers rose to No. 10 following Bradley’s pledge earlier this afternoon.

Bradley is the No. 37 overall prospect and the No. 6 EDGE in the 2023 On3 Consensus, while Smith is the No. 473 overall prospect and No. 45 linebacker.

Today’s commitments continue successful summer for Tennessee’s 2023 class

By landing Bradley and Smith, Josh Heupel continued Tennessee’s successful recruiting summer.

The Volunteers started July off fast by landing Douglasville (Ga.) New Manchester three-star defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby and Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren three-star ATH Cristian Conyer.

Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland four-star athlete Cameron Seldon then committed to Tennessee on July 7. A day later, Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark four-star interior offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov joined the Volunteers’ 2023 class as well.

“It was the coaching staff that won me over,” Umarov told On3’s Jeremy Johnson. “Ever since I met coach (Glen) Elarbee in the fall of last year, the way he’s been speaking with me and my family has been the same throughout. They weren’t trying to win me over at the last second. They’ve been showing me the same love throughout the whole process.”

Tennessee’s group currently contains 18 players, including one five-star, six four-stars and 11 three-stars. Three of the Volunteers’ three-star pledges committed in June: Southaven (Miss.) three-star safety John Slaughter, Gainesville (Ga.) three-star linebacker Jeremiah Telander and Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman three-star running back Will Stallings Jr.

The class is led by Long Beach (Calif.) Poly five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who pledged to Tennessee in March.

“Tennessee is very capable of putting a top team together, playing for the national championship and competing with Alabama and Georgia in the SEC,” Iamaleava told On3’s Chad Simmons in March. “What coach Heupel did last year is only going to get better.”

Tennessee is still in the hunt for top prospects

The Volunteers are showing no signs of slowing down on the recruiting trail. They are contenders for multiple blue-chip prospects including Powell (Tenn.) four-star wide receiver Adarius Redmond and IMG Academy four-star wide receiver Devin Hyatt.

Tennessee has the lead for both players in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Meanwhile, the RPM has the Volunteers trailing for prospects including Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons, who is favored to land at Florida State.