Tennessee lands a commitment from New Jersey edge CJ Edwards adding to Top 10 class

Metuchen (NJ) Saint Joseph 2026 edge rusher CJ Edwards has committed to Tennessee.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Edwards has opted for the Vols over Boston College, Michigan and Pittsburgh among others.

“There level of commitment when it came to recruiting as well as the staff and the winning culture they have built,” Edwards said. “Their coach (Josh) Heupel has built something impressive that I can see myself being a part of and contributing too and I’m excited to be a Vol.”

North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse and West Virginia were among some of the other programs for Edwards who becomes commit No. 8 for Heupel and his staff in the 2026 cycle. He adds to a haul the On3 Industry previously ranked No. 9 nationally.

Edwards will take his official to Tennessee the weekend of June 21 and is excited to be in the fold.

“I felt I was at a really good place in my recruitment overall and have been narrowing down my schools for a while now and when it came down to it Tennessee was the school I decided I wanted to call home,” Edwards said.

Tennessee looking to build a second-straight Top 10 class

A link to the Tennessee class here that also includes fellow defensive lineman Tyson Bacon and linebacker Braylon Outlaw.

Heupel and the Vols are pushing for a second-straight Top 10 recruiting class. They are building another terrific class headlined by five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, On300 receiver Tyreek King and four-star tight end Carson Sneed. Big targets for the Vols moving forward include On3’s No. 1 ranked receiver Tristen Keys, the No. 1 running back in the land Savion Hiter and On3’s No. 7 prospect overall in edge rusher Rodney Dunham Jr. The Checkered Orange are at or near the top of the list for each of those blue-chippers.

Edwards ranks as the No. 78 edge rusher in the country per the On3 Industry.