Tennessee Football Visits In-State 2027 Running Back

Four-star running back Asa Barnes was recently visited by two Vols coaches and spoke highly of Tennessee afterwards.

Westview's Asa Barnes (5) carries the ball through Gatlinburg-Pittman defenders during the Class 3A championship game at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Dec. 5, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After not signing a running back in the 2026 class, Tennessee is off to a hot start in the recruitment of four-star in-state running back Asa Barnes. The 2027 star from Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, totaled an insane 1775 all-purpose yards and 31 total touchdowns as he led the Chargers to a state title in 2025. Due to his high production, Barnes has garnered interest from multiple top programs such as Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, and more. He went on multiple visits during his junior season to the likes of Missouri, Vanderbilt, and more.

Barnes is already very high on Tennessee as he looks to get back on campus sometime in the spring. He visited Tennessee this past season in September and he spoke more about his visit to Vols on SI here.

Barnes Enjoys Visits from Tennessee Coaches

Westview's Asa Barnes (5) gets past Gatlinburg-Pittman's Nathan Allen (7) on route to the end zone during the Class 3A Championship match between Gatlinburg-Pittman versus Westview in Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tenn., on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. | Jamar Coach / The Jackson Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The contact period opened a few weeks ago, and since Vols head coach Josh Heupel and running backs coach De’Rail Sims have visited Barnes. Heupel visited on January 5th, and Barnes loved the visit and said that the two talk a lot over the phone as well. 

As for Sims, Barnes credited him and their bond as one of the reasons why he likes Tennessee and went into detail about the visit from the coach on January 18th.

“It (the visit) was great. We talked about things that I am looking for in a position coach and the steps moving forward to get me on campus.”

More About Barnes 

Westview's Asa Barnes (5) scores a touchdown past Marshall County's Mylan Bell (19) during the second quarter in Lewisburg, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barnes already has good size for a running back before ever setting foot on a college campus, standing at 6-feet tall and weighing in at about 205 pounds. He was unstoppable this past year at Westview, constantly spinning out of tackles and juking out defenders to get into open space where he cannot be caught. He was named to PrepRedzone Tennessee’s Class 3A All-State. He was recently offered a chance at an Under Armour Next camp series, where he will go one-on-one with some of the top prospects in the southeast. This offseason, Barnes will play with TN Select 7-on-7, an organization that has produced multiple top prospects, including current Texas A&M starting quarterback Marcel Reed and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (whose younger brother Graham is the quarterback at Westview and for TN Select). 

Barnes also plays basketball for his high school program. His team is off to a 10-6 start and is 2-0 in its region.

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