Tennessee trending to flip 4-star TE DaSaahn Brame away from Oregon

When Derby (Kan.) four-star tight end DaSaahn Brame committed to Oregon less than a month ago, the Ducks won out despite a hard push from Tennessee to add him to its commit list.

Those two programs had been jockeying for position in his recruitment for months, but ultimately he chose the program in Eugene. Unsurprisingly though, the Volunteers haven’t ceded any ground in their pursuit of him, and it looks to be paying off.

On Monday, three expert picks went into the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for the Vols to flip Brame, including one each from On3 national insiders Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons.

“A new forecast we have in favor of Tennessee is for the Vols to ultimately flip the nation’s No. 4 tight end DaSaahn Brame from Oregon,” wrote Wiltfong in his latest intel. “Position coach Alec Abeln has stayed relentless in recruiting Brame.

… Tennessee lost a back and forth with the Ducks at the end of June but are trending again behind the scenes for the Derby (Kan.) High blue-chipper.”

Scheme, relationships with coaching staff are key factors to Brame

Prior to his commitment to the Ducks, Brame talked with Simmons about his official visit to Tennessee in May and what stood out about the program in Knoxville.

“I like how much he cares for his players,” Brame said of head coach Josh Heupel. “I sat down with some of the tight ends and they were talking about how much he cares and how he reaches out to their parents and lets them know how they’re doing.” 

They also believe he can be an early impact player.

“The coaches spoke with me about the impact I could have coming in as a freshman and playing,” he said. “They also talked with me about the impact that I could have on the team. Obviously, I would have to earn that, but they showed me how I could go there, be developed and become the best version of me.”

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is the No. 101 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the country’s No. 4 tight end.