Levorn 'Chop' Harbin's impact on the recruiting trail was evident for Vols prior to his on-field promotion

Tennessee announced Levorn “Chop” Harbin’s promotion to Outside Linebackers Coach moments ago. The news comes following the departure of Mike Ekeler to Nebraska, where he will serve as the Cornhuskers Special Teams Coordinator.

Harbin has served as a “Senior Defensive Analyst” since arriving at Tennessee in 2021. The promotion to Outside Linebackers Coach is a natural one, as Chop has worked hand in hand with the unit on a daily basis, along with Rodney Garner and Ekeler.

However, from a recruiting standpoint, Harbin’s promotion makes sense even more. He has been on the road at various times over the past two recruiting cycles, and during the January contact period, Harbin was on the road essentially every day that the Tennessee staff was out to see defensive, and even offensive, prospects.

His impact on the recruiting trail is one that has been well-documented over the last few cycles, and we take a look at what a number of recruits have had to say about Coach “Chop” in the past.

2025 four-star Tennessee DL Mariyon Dye

“He keeps it real with you, he is like a father figure for sure,” Dye said of what stood out about Coach Chop. “He isn’t always going to tell you everything is right. He is going to tell you what you are doing wrong, and that shows he cares. That is what really stood out to me. He really checks up on me and my family. It is not just about football. That was another big part for me too. It shows that he cares.”

2025 five-star Tennessee DL Isaiah Campbell

“At the end of the day, I just really liked the people and the men of character that are Coach Garner, Coach Heupel and Coach Chop. They are going to keep it transparent. That is what I want from a coach. I want them to tell me what they are doing wrong. If there is no correction, then how am I going to be better?”

Elite 2026 Alabama CB commit Zyan Gibson

“He is a cool guy,” Gibson said of Harbin earlier this month. “He always calls me and checks up on me. He checks on my family. Tennessee was one of the first schools to offer me, and they helped put me on the map. I like that about him.”

Elite 2026 Auburn EDGE commit Hezekiah Harris

“Just the coaches and coach Chop,” Harris said in January on why he is listening to Tennessee. “He really stands out. He is a great guy He is a great coach and I feel like he can really help me with my game. Just being able to develop me. Just working on the run and stopping the run.”

2026 top-35 ATH Joel Wyatt

“He has been on me, and we talk mostly every day,” Wyatt said of Harbin in January. “Him being a part of my life, his back story and my back story is a connection we have been building up. He has been talking with my older brother, and my older brother is the reason I am playing football. Coach Chop getting to know him is a big part for me.”

2026 4-star in-state EDGE Zach Groves

“That is my guy,” Groves said of Harbin in December. “He is just like one of us. He is a great guy that really cares about me and checks in on me all the time.”

2025 three-star Tennessee DB signee Sidney Walton

“It was mainly how he seemed genuine and how he treated me and how he treated my family,” Walton said of Chop’s impact on his decision to choose the Vols last April. “He constantly reached out and he didn’t just talk to me. He would talk to my parents and showed how he genuinely cared about me.”

Elite 2026 Tennessee EDGE target Rodney Dunham

“Coach Chop is really the one that recruits me,” Dunham said of Harbin in January. “But I have connected with all of them, Coach Heupel, Coach Banks, Coach Ek, and Coach Garner. It is just the family aspect of it. I don’t feel a business type. He (Coach Chop) is a great guy. He is cool and a really good coach that sees how the defensive line is played. He is great recruiter.

2024 five-star Tennessee EDGE Jordan Ross

“Coach (Levorn) Harbin and coach Heupel,” Ross said at the time of his commitment to what made Tennessee right for him. “They both made it feel like home.

2026 four-star Tennessee DL target Keshawn Stancil

“Shoot, I would hear from Coach Chop almost every day, and that was good,” Stancil told Volquest in November after getting offered by the Vols. “Just going up there on the visit just made the connection even stronger. That is why I am going back this weekend. “The words you can use about coach Chop is energy. He has energy and is going to check up on you and make sure everything is okay. He is going to tell you the truth straight up like 12 o’clock.”

2025 four-star Tennessee DL signee Charles House

“Coach Chop calls me every day and checks up on me,” he said of the relationship with Harbin prior to his commitment last summer “He is always checking on me and wants to see what I am doing and that my family is going. I know he wants me to commit here. He wants me bad.”

2026 three-star Tennessee DL commit Tyson Bacon

“What I like about them is the tough love,” the coveted prospect said of this. “Coach G is not going to take it easy on you. Chop will love you, but he can be hot as a coach, too. Coach Robert (Ayers) is going to be nice to you, but he can get after it. The tough love that they show is what the players need. That is what I like about them. You have the guys who have been at the top of the league, the guy who has been here for forty years, and a rising star like Chop, so you have someone who can tell you what they see, where they’ve been and where you need to be. I like all of that.”

These prospects, along with several others like James Pearce Jr., Rickey Gibson, and Jeremias Heard, are all recruitments Coach “Chop” has been key in cultivating relationships with or helping Tennessee get across the finish line.

As evidenced, Harbin should have no trouble in relating to the room he has inherited since he played a key role in securing it, and now, he will have more of a title to go to work with on the recruiting trail.