Tennessee up to No. 7 in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings

A hot start to the 2023 cycle for Tennessee warmed up a little more on Tuesday. A little less than a month after adding five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the fold, the Volunteers picked up a commitment from top-65 EDGE Caleb Herring.

In addition to being the No. 8 prospect in a very deep class at the EDGE position, Herring is the No. 1 overall recruit in Tennessee. Landing the top prospect in its own state is something the Vols haven’t done since 2020.

The commitments of Iamaleava and Herring, along with top-100 tight end Ethan Davis, have officially pushed Tennessee into the top 10 of the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Vols came into this morning ranked No. 11, but leapfrogged Clemson, Arkansas, LSU and Penn State into the No. 7 spot.

Tennessee prioritizing in-state recruits

Of Tennessee’s now eight commitments, five are from inside the state, something that has become a priority under head coach Josh Heupel. The Volunteers only signed two in-state prospects in last year’s cycle, but were squarely in the mix for Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Walter Nolen before he chose Texas A&M.

This year, they already have the state’s top prospect in the fold. And they’re in the hunt for two of the other top five players: wide receiver Adarius Redmond and offensive lineman Brycen Sanders.

Landing top talent only increases the likelihood of landing more, and Iamaleava has been a strong salesman since his commitment. Next on his radar is five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate, who took an official visit to Knoxville two weekends ago. Since then, Tennessee has taken the lead in his recruitment, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

It’s been eight years since Tennessee last signed a top-10 class. And while it’s still very early in the recruiting cycle, things are trending up in a big way.