2026 Safety Joel Wyatt Officially Signs With Tennessee Football

Joel Wyatt has officially signed with the Tennessee Volunteers football program.

Tennessee Athletics Association

The Early Signing Day timeline is officially here, and this is something that many recruits just couldn't wait for, as this is their moment to finally be able to cap off a very stressful, but yet fun journey. The recruits all have hopes of doing the same thing, which is playing college ball at the highest level- which many will now have the chance to do.

The Tennessee Volunteers are one of the better teams on Signing Day in recent memory, as they do a lot of damage. This includes last year, when they were able to bring in almost all of their commits, along with their addition of both Timothy Merritt and Jadon Perlotte.

The Vols are already off to a huge start, especially in the state, as they have officially signed one of the better in-state prospects. That player is Joel Wyatt.

BIO

Oakland’s Joel Wyatt (14) celebrates his touchdown during a preseason football scrimmage between Oakland and McCallie at Oakland, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. | HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Name: Joel Wyatt

Position: Safety

School: Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

Measurements: 6'4, 195-pounds

Star Rating: Four-Star

Wyatt transferred away from a Bell Buckle, Tennessee program, and he hit a new stride with one of the better programs from the state of Tennessee. That program being Oakland, who is the same school that had Daune Morris in some of his high school years after his transfer from Red Bank. Wyatt was originally being recruited at LEO from the staff, but there wasn't much excitement from the athlete at that position, as he opted to be a safety with the chance of eventually being a wide receiver. Wyatt is a guy that was recruited at many positions, and is arguably the most versatile player on the roster depending on who you ask.

Tennessee Recruiting History

Oakland’s Joel Wyatt (14) carries the ball after catching a pass during the week 1 football game between Oakland and CPA, at Oakland on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. | HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Offer: May 15th, 2024

Official Visit: June 6th, 2025

Commitment Date: July 28th, 2025

There were many schools that wanted to land Wyatt, but their main competition was Vanderbilt. Clark Lea and his staff wanted the prospect, but that wasn't the case. The Vols did a good job when it comes to recruitment. Since his commitment, it has been nearly all Vol. This is something that remained a huge deal throughout the cycle, as this allowed the Vols to focus elsewhere. Wyatt could be a star at the next level, and if he is given the right chance, he will be someone who could see the field early in his career, even if it isn't his first season in Knoxville. He will be a guy that many could be talking about down the line.

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