2026 Navy All-American Bowl Features Tennessee Football Signees

Arguably the most prestigious all-star game was held in San Antonio, Texas over the weekend.

The Navy All-American Bowl featured many of the nation's top football players. Some committed, some declared during the game, a few undeclared, along with a few of the nation's talented juniors.

Numerous players have interest from the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols had some signees, an underclassman commit, and a few targets among the crowd in Texas.

The Vols Represented Well

The #Vols were represented well in San Antonio

Rocky Top has some ballers on the way@AABonNBC | @VolsOnSI pic.twitter.com/kZqMHY4ayS
— Dale Dowden (@Dale_Dowden) January 10, 2026

As displayed above, the Vols had plenty of reason to be tuned in. The picture doesn't even capture everyone as 2026 DL signee JJ Finch Jr., and 2027 OL commit Princeton Uwaifo are not pictured.

Keys and Finch Jr. did not play in the contest. Keys, however, did go through some practice sessions throughout the week, and the highly rated wide receiver was able to showcase his talent a bit.

Vols on SI has in San Antonio to observe practice and was in attendance for the talent filled contest.

The Vols Introduced in San Antonio

Let's dive into what the Tennessee Volunteer signees, commits and a couple of prospects accomplished.

Carter Gooden

Jim Knowles is going to enjoy the addition of Carter Gooden. The defensive lineman signee was late jumping in the boat as the Massachusetts product committed and signed in early December during the early signing day.

Gooden was selected to play in the Navy All-American Bowl, and flashes of the upside were very pleasing. The productive EDGE displayed a high motor throughout the week. That was quickly noted, as even in reps that Gooden didn't get the best of the energy and fight was there.

A quick first step, high motor, and overall physical presence are the three traits that stood out about Gooden. Solid foundation, but plenty of room to develop and grow.

Tristen Keys

One of the top two signees (Faizon Brandon) Tristen Keys was a no-brainer selection for a few reasons. Keys, one of the top-rated wide receiver prospects in the country is also an Adidas athlete.

Keys was initially committed to LSU before flipping his decision to Tennessee, who always maintained a top spot with the five-star.

The talented pass catcher decided not to play in the game but was active in a few practice sessions.

During his practice availability, the Mississippi native would showcase how quick he could get off the line at the snap and effortlessly run by defenders. The body control is a nice quality to add to the many others. As a wide receiver, you want guys with strong hands, and Keys appears to be equipped with.

Although it is very early on, but I would not be the slightest bit surprised is Keys finds a way to the field in some capacity during the 2026 season.

TJ White Jr.

This linebacker signee was up for Defensive Player of the Year Award for the All-American Bowl, just for an example of the talent.

White Jr. is a big, physical backer that will hit you, not just tackle you, but hit. The unique part is, the Mississippi product moves east and west very well for his size.

Closes well and has a way of jumping into the throwing lanes, cutting underneath to pick the pass off.

White Jr. should fit in well with the current guys on roster such as Telander, Spillman, Perlotte, Harmon, Burns, etc.

William Inge has to be smiling ear to ear to see what this group is growing into from a depth and identity standpoint.

Joel Wyatt

Joel Wyatt may have one of the more interesting recruitments in the class due to the future of what position the in-state product will play.

The previous defensive staff viewed Wyatt as a LEO. This placed a lot of work ahead of the Oakland athlete. With the staff changes and knowing certain preferences, it will be interesting to see if the overall plan for Wyatt receives any changes.

In terms of the All-American Bowl, Wyatt began the week practicing with the wide receivers, but by mid-week and during the game, the in-state signee was spotted at the safety position.

At 6-foot4, 200-pounds, that is a long, rangy defensive back roaming the secondary and forces many quarterbacks locate him before the play begins.

Brayden Rouse

Brayden Rouse not only has a unique story but may have the best upside of anyone in the class.

The linebacker measures at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds but if you had met the young man 3 years ago, you wouldn't believe the two are the same. Rouse truly grew into his body and into a new position. Going from player wide receiver and defensive back to playing tight end and linebacker.

Rouse has adapted throughout his high school career and just kept finding success, finishing as one of the nation's top 5 linebackers.

The athletic ability is radiant when on the field. The ability to diagnose plays and fly to the ball is very impressive. Rouse plays with a high motor and with playing the skill positions over the years, moves very well for his size.

The Georgia product made a few plays in San Antonio by chasing down guys before they were able to turn up field and do damage. Taking angles away from running backs and wide receivers is a nice trait to have for a young linebacker. To think about how raw the talent is, William Inge has a true gem coming to Rocky Top.

Take a look at Rouse making the play on five-star Ohio State WR signee Chris Henry Jr.

Princeton Uwaifo

The lone 2027 commit Princeton Uwaifo at 6-foot-5.5, 342-pounds can really captivate the spectators. Uwaifo committed to the Vols back in November, giving Tennessee a nice foundational piece to the 2027 class.

Observing Uwaifo over the course of the busy week, a few things stood out about the Siegel (TN) student-athlete.

If Uwaifo gets his hands on you, it is going to be very difficult to break free. As he continues to develop the first step will get quicker as times goes on and the fundamentals are truly detailed.

Competing in the Navy All-American Bowl, the junior prospect had to deal with some of the top defensive linemen in the country. Impressively enough, Uwaifo made his mark and earned respect, winning multiple reps throughout the week.

Malik Howard

Another in-state target made his way to San Antonio as 2027 Oak Ridge (TN) TE Malik Howard took advantage of the opportunity as an underclassmen.

Howard is an athletically built tight end that is impactful in the passing game. Although Howard was not as involved in the passing game during the contest, a few things were noticed at practice sessions.

The young tight end proved to be an effective route runner and able to create separation against defensive backs as well as he does linebackers.

Anticipate Alec Abln to stay active here.

Kenneth Simon II

A 2027 target that continues to develop each time Vols on SI puts eyes on the in-state linebacker.

At 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, the junior defender has a nice body type for the position which allows him to be as much athletic as he is physical at the point of contact.

Kenneth Simon II is very explosive and has a very nice burst. Observing the Brentwood Academy linebacker during some positional drills, Simon II closes the distance to a ball carrier very quickly and explodes through the tackle.

Firmly believe this is a 3-down guy. The football IQ along with the physical tools support that,

2027 Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) LB Ken Simon II (@K2simon2) working hard in the individual portion of practice ahead of the @AABonNBC on Saturday

The junior LB narrowed his list down to 8 schools in early December, and the #Vols made the cut pic.twitter.com/JFh7ULHrQW
— Dale Dowden (@Dale_Dowden) January 7, 2026

Duvay Williams

A young talented defensive back from California, Duvay Williams made the trip to Texas to test his skills against some of the nation's best.

Chris Henry Jr., Aaron Gregory, Nicholas Lennear, Ahmed Hudson, Sequel Patterson, and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt are just some of the wide receivers that Williams had the opportunity to battle with.

Adding quality weight has to be on the agenda for the underclassman. Williams has the mentality to play physical and does not back down, and with weight on his side, Williams may develop into one of the most physical corners in the country.

Williams is smooth in his back pedal and appeared to be flexible in his hips as he was able to open and run pretty smoothly.

To summarize, Vol Nation should be pretty excited about some of these young guys coming in and should be zeroed in watching the younger prospects as they develop over the next year.

As Tennessee prepares to switch back to Adidas, it's fair to say there may be plenty of more future Vols that end up in San Antonio for the Navy All-American Bowl in the future.

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