Carter Gooden Flips From UCLA to Tennessee Football

Carter Gooden flips his commitment away from the UCLA Bruins and to the Tennessee Volunteers

Carter Gooden on his Tennessee Volunteers official visit | Carter Gooden

The Tennessee Volunteers have been pushing for many different prospects in the 2026 class, as the class is coming to an end, and the 2027 class is taking priority in the recruiting spotlight. There were multiple players that the Vols wanted to land before or on signing day, and there were multiple positions that they needed to add to the frame.

Luckily for the Vols, they were able to land one of their top targets that remained on the board in the later portion of what was left in the class.

Tennessee Lands a Flip Target

Carter Gooden on his Tennessee Volunteers official visit | Carter Gooden

The player that the Vols landed was a major flip target, and that player is Carter Gooden. Gooden is a defensive star on the front line, as he plays EDGE. He is an EDGE rusher from the state of Massachusetts. Gooden was originally committed to the UCLA Bruins over many different programs. Some of the programs that he committed to the Bruins over include the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Michigan State Spartans, and more. Gooden detailed his decision originally after it was made, as he detailed why he committed to the Bruins in the first place.

"The biggest thing was the coaching staff there. I have always loved the way that Coach Malloe runs his defense and the different types of systems that allow you to showcase your ability, and allow you to play in your best position."

It is likely the same reason that the talented prospect moved on to the Tennessee Volunteers, as this would align with many different commits in the 2026 class. Gooden originally committed to the Bruins when the staff was led by DeShaun Foster, who is no longer with the Bruins after being let go in the early part of the season. Foster being let go led to more staff firings, which left many commits with no choice but to look elsewhere. Gooden was one of the many to visit other places.

The schools that he got to visit recently include the Tennessee Volunteers and the Vanderbilt Commodores. The battle of the Tennessee schools was close, but in the end the Tennessee Vols walked away with the prize, and will now have another eweapon off the EDGE in this class. This was arguably the biggest need for the Vols on the defensive side, and the fact that they were able to land him is huge.

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