Tennessee Football Losses One of Its Top Commits

3-star defensive back Kamauri Whitfield has backed off of his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers.

Oct 11, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

This week has been one of ups and downs on the recruiting scene for the Volunteers. 2027 quarterback Derrick Baker committed to Tennessee and became the fifth commit of the class. 

However, the Volunteers have dropped to just four commits after Kamauri Whitfield decommitted yesterday. Whitfield had been committed since October. The decision does not come as a major surprise, reports had been showing that other schools had been surging from him, plus Tennessee has made some changes to the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball. The 3-star defensive back took to social media to address his decision.

“With all the defensive coaching changes, I felt like I needed to take a step back and make sure I was making the best long-term decision for me and my family. Tennessee is still in my top schools.”

He has since lined up visits to Florida, Oregon, Nebraska, and Virginia Tech.

What’s Next for Tennessee

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel cheers on a player during the first half of an NCAA football game against Tennessee at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 22, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As previously mentioned, Tennessee has made some changes to the defensive coaching staff and that will definitely affect some of the defensive recruits' relationships with the Vols.

One of those coaches, coach Micheal Hunter Jr (corners), recently took a job in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams. His loss might be the biggest out of any of the coaches who were fired/left. I would assume his departure was the biggest reason for Whitfield decommitting and it will be interesting to monitor how that loss affects Tennessee in the pursuit of other top corners in the country.

One anonymous top defensive target for Tennessee (not Whitfield) spoke with Vols on SI about the recent changes to the coaching staff.

“To be honest, I have not met many of the new staff, but I am looking forward to getting to know the new staff.”

This being said, the Volunteers are still a blue blood program, with one of the best head coaches in the country, so Tennessee should still be atop multiple players lists, even with all of the changes. 

The loss of Whitfield is going to be a tough pill to swallow, but Tennessee still has two commitments on the defensive side of the ball. Although, it seems that Kadin Fife, a 4-star defensive lineman, is also looking at his options as he has scheduled an official visit to Georgia in May.

The coming months will be crucial for the staff on both sides of the ball in order to secure commitments from some of the top prospects in the country.

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