"It's Hard to Leave Knoxville" Mississippi State commit BJ Allen Talks Tennessee's Push to Flip

Mississippi State commit BJ Allen talks with Vols on SI about the Vols push to flip him.

BJ Allen | Wesley Powell- Vols on SI

Mississippi State commit Brandon Allen Jr (BJ) committed to the Bulldogs back in September, becoming the first commit in their 2027 class. Since then, the Bulldogs have held off pushes from Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, and others who attempted to flip the Atlanta native.

However, the job is not finished for the Bulldogs, as Tennessee has been surging as of late for the three-star. He visited Rocky Top in June. While he remains committed to Mississippi State, Vols on SI recently caught up with the talented prospect, who had nothing but good things to say about Tennessee as he mulls over what is next in his recruitment.

BJ Allen Talks Tennessee push to Flip

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during the Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, April 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

New defensive backs coach Derek Jones has been a driving force for Tennessee’s push to flip Allen, and Allen could only rave about him.

“I talk to Coach Jones very frequently. We have conversations about life, about everything. He wants me to come in and play early; that's the first thing he always tells me. He told me he can see being like Ty Redmond.”

Like Allen, Redmond played high school football in Fulton County, Georgia, and also like Allen, he was a three-star coming out of high school. Despite his ranking, Redmond earned a lot of minutes as a true freshman last season, and BJ Allen has taken notice of that.

“He (Ty Redmond) is just like me, same area, same body type, same everything. I saw him ball his freshman year and improve his stock. He’s only going to get better under coach Jones. It’s something I see all the time, and I’ve talked to Ty about it.”

Although Allen had never visited Tennessee up until his official visit a few weeks ago, he left Knoxville starstruck.

“It was special. After that, it took my parents and all of my might to go on my last official visit (the visit after Tennessee), because as soon as I stepped into Neyland, it felt like home. It’s crazy to think about 102,000 people cheering you on every Saturday.”

“It’s hard to turn down Knoxville. The coaching staff is grade A; some played in the NFL. The stuff around the building, the coaches, you know, the stuff you can’t put a price tag on. It will definitely help me get to the next level.”

I also asked about the possibility of playing in Neyland Stadium, to which Allen is very excited about potentially playing there.

What was very interesting was that during our conversation, he said that Tennessee contacts him more than Mississippi State does now. Still, he remains committed to Mississippi State because of his relationships in Starkville.

“Mississippi State was there when I had nobody. Back in 10th grade, I was a receiver, and Coach Bell (Mississippi State corners coach) told me that if I moved to corner, he would come and get me, and as soon as he switched to corner, he came and offered me.”

He also let me know that it is now a two-team battle between Tennessee and Mississippi State, despite his taking official visits to Virginia Tech and South Carolina as well.

They also informed Vols on SI that he is still deciding between the two, and although he could make a decision by the start of his high school season, he added that his recruitment could carry on through the season.