Tennessee building formidable base to 2026 recruiting class

Tennessee landed another in-state commitment on Thursday as Knoxville Catholic four-star wide receiver Tyreek King announced his pledge to the Volunteers.

The standout junior is the No. 60 overall prospect, No. 6 WR and No. 3 player in Tennessee in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

“The coaches are a big reason I committed to Tennessee,” King told On3’s Chad Simmons. “It is a great staff that I trust. Coach (Kelsey) Pope develops receivers and coach (Josh) Heupel cares about his players. The coaches will develop me and get me on the field early.”

With King’s commitment, Tennessee continues to get ahead in the upcoming cycle and now has five 2026 pledges in the mix. The class ranks No. 4 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Vols building around a 5-star quarterback

Tennessee’s first commitment in the 2026 class was a big one. The Vols beat out NC State, Alabama, LSU and others for Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon on Aug. 3. Now the No. 6 recruit and No. 2 QB in the junior cycle, Brandon will be the lynchpin for his class on Rocky Top.

“I started feeling Tennessee a while ago,” Brandon told On3. “They started recruiting me early, and the first impression they made on me was unlike any other. The staff recruited me hard from the get-go, they kept it steady with me and they pushed so hard to get me. All of that made an impact on why I picked them.”

Brandon being in the fold will help Tennessee get a leg up on other top offensive targets who are working to make a decision. Plenty of factors helped King pick the Vols on Thursday, but the potential to play alongside Brandon in the future was certainly on the mind of the Knoxville native.

“I love the quarterbacks too. Faizon Brandon will be there and we will be dangerous together and do some real damage,” King said. “Location was nice too. I can walk to the campus from my house.”

Vols stacking up top juniors on the offensive side of the ball

Four of the five commits in the 2026 class for Tennessee are on the offensive side of the ball, all of whom are blue-chip recruits.

Nashville Donelson Christian four-star tight end Carson Sneed committed two days after Brandon on Aug. 5 and is a top-250 recruit and the No. 11 TE in the cycle. Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb four-star interior offensive lineman Brandon Anderson pledged earlier this month on Oct. 20 and is a top-300 prospect and a top-30 player at the position early on.

Warren (Mich.) Hoover three-star defensive lineman Tyson Bacon, who committed a day after Anderson, rounds out the class as the No. 15 junior from Michigan.

With momentum on the recruiting trail, Josh Heupel and his staff are welcoming in multiple top 2026 targets this weekend as the Volunteers take on Kentucky on Saturday night inside Neyland Stadium. Mineral (Va.) Louisa County four-star running back Savion Hiter and Rolesville (N.C.) North Carolina four-star EDGE commit Zavion Griffin-Haynes are among the names expected on campus.