2028 Five-Star DL Kellan Hall Talks Relationship with Tennessee Football, Commitment Plans

The Tennessee Volunteers just recently received the commitment of their top priority in the 2027 cycle when David Gabriel-Georges chose the Vols over Ohio State.

Josh Heupel and company are wasting little time beginning to prioritize some top targets in the 2028 class.

Kaden Craft, a highly talented quarterback gave Tennessee football it's first pledge of the cycle. Craft is 6-foot-4, 265-pound and happens to be from.... North Carolina. Heupel has a thing for gunslingers from the Tar Heel state.

12 days ago, the Volunteers found themselves in the Top 12 for a highly sought-after defensive lineman.

Elite 2028 DL Kellan Hall tells @247Sports he is now to 12 schools.

🔗 https://t.co/6XMPSJ9aQi @247Sports . @KellanHbigdawg

🎨 @CfbRalb 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AUcd8cizRF
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) August 21, 2026

2028 Five-Star Christian Academy of Louisville (KY) DL Kellan Hall

Kellan Hall has surged up the rankings with dominant showings at numerous camps while competing with some of the nation's top talent.

Hall has a very impressive composite/industry ranking when accounting for all three major recruiting sites.

Position (DL) - 1
State (KY) - 1
National (Overall) - 2

Vols on SI had the pleasure of seeing Hall in action as Christian Academy of Louisville shut-out Owensboro 52-0.

"I feel like we could have done better," was the first thing from Hall's mouth.

"I wanted 60 (points). We didn't get there. Next time, we'll have some things corrected and make it there."

Hall was very quick to point at the off-season work that was put in that has led to this point and what helped produce last night's dominant performance.

"I went against the best in the country. I went to all of those camps and people kept asking me if I'm a top player, why do I keep going? I want to get better, and when I come back here, they see the difference in me," Hall told Vols on SI.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Christian Academy of Louisville (KY) DL Kellan Hall (@KellanHbigdawg) with a huge 3rd down sack

Hall is expected to visit Tennessee on Nov. 21 per @Hayesfawcett3 @VolsOnSI pic.twitter.com/YVZMqZsXwr
— Dale Dowden (@Dale_Dowden) August 28, 2026

Hall plays with a high motor and is very athletic for his size. As you see above, the stunt by the tackles created a Red Sea caliber gap for the five-star to shoot and make the play.

Kellan Hall (@KellanHbigdawg) bullying his way into the backfield@VolsOnSI pic.twitter.com/19F2gnid8R
— Dale Dowden (@Dale_Dowden) August 29, 2026

Although Hall didn't make the tackle, he definitely helped collapse the pocket, leaving the quarterback no where to go.

The blue-chip defensive lineman has taken a business approach to the recruiting process and is wasting very little to no time.

10 of the Top 12 schools already have Fall visits in place as an early January decision make take place.

"Early January, that's when I'm going to commit. I'm going to go to the Under Armor All-American Game, I'll probably commit on ESPN. By that time, me and my family will have made a great decision. We dropped my schools, visit schedule, and I feel like we have a great aspect on where I want to go, what I want to do there," Hall explained.

Vols Make Top 12

How have the Vols positioned themselves with Hall?

"Coach Heup (Josh Heupel) that's my guy, Coach G (Rodney Garner), all of those guys in Knoxville keep in touch, keep me motivated. Coach Knowles, they all keep in touch, and they really keep me going. They love my game, what I can do. They think I can be one of the best to ever do it," Hall said.

Rodney Garner Impact

Coach Garner — Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner at the 2021 Music City Bowl NCAA college football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. Kns Tennessee Purdue | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"I am (familiar with his background), he's coaches Hall of Famers, he's been in the game a long time, and he has experience. He definitely knows what he is doing," Hall said of Ganer's history.

"You definitely want to get coached by the best, and when you have a guy like that, then you're right there in your backyard, Knoxville is not that far down the road. It definitley makes it easy to consider them (Tennessee)," Hall said.

The Vols are slated to host the coveted fine-star talent on November 21. The LSU game. If the talented defensive lineman was looking for a great atmosphere, Lane Kiffin returning to Knoxville is about as a good as it gets.

Time will tell how this recruitment goes down, but the Vols have positioned themselves into a great spot with Hall, but they have some heavy hitting competition fighting for this commitment.

The three-headed recruiting monster of Heupel, Garner, and Knowles will give Tennessee a very fair shot to land the nation's top defensive lineman in 2028.

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