Tennessee Recruiting Update as Top Prospects Begin to Narrow Down Lists

After finishing the 2026 class with the ninth-ranked recruiting class in the country per Rivals, Tennessee is looking to finish with another top 10 class in 2027.

Tennessee already has four commits in the 2027 class: Princeton Uwaifo, Kadin Fife, JP Peace, and Kamauri Whitfield.

Multiple other top prospects are beginning to narrow down their school lists, so here are some of the top prospects who are currently high on the Vols.

Prospects with Tennessee High on Their List

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel walks off the field after a college football game between Tennessee and Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 18, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ethan Hauser (3-star DB)

Ethan Hauser is the only player on this list who has not announced a top schools list yet. However, the Vols remain high for Hauser and will likely be a big player going forward for the Georgia state champion.

His recruitment has blown up over the past few weeks, garnering offers from schools all across the country. Multiple high-level SEC schools are looking into the defensive back, including Missouri, whom he visited over the weekend.

Jaylen Scott (4-star DB)

Jaylen Scott has already been committed twice, but has decommitted from both. He first committed to Florida State in January of 2025, before flipping to Auburn over the summer. A few months later, he decommitted from the Tigers following the recent firing of head coach Hugh Freeze.

The 4-star DB from Alabama has taken his fair share of visits over the past few months, including one to Rocky Top on December 27th.

He recently announced a new top five schools list to On3’s Chad Simmons, which included the Vols as well as UGA, Oklahoma, Miami, and Florida State. He also detailed to Simmons that he will take multiple spring visits before committing.

Miguel Whitley (4-star WR)

Ranked as a top 10 wide receiver in the country, Miguel Whitley has a lot of hype for the future. The Louisiana native also recently announced that he is down to five schools, including the in-state LSU Tigers, Tennessee, Houston, Ohio State, and Ole Miss.

Whitley visited the Tigers this weekend, and it seems that Lane Kiffin has definitely made him a priority.

The Vols were on him early, offering him back in January of last year, and have kept up recruiting him. However, as of right now, it seems like LSU will be the team to beat down the stretch.

Montre Jackson (4-star DB)

Montre Jackson is a top one of the top defensive back prospects in the country, and he has shown why on numerous occasions. The 4-star from Texas recently narrowed down his top schools list to his top eight, which included the Vols as well as Duke, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma.

If Tennessee is to land a commitment from Jackson, it will be one of the biggest recruitment wins of the past few years. Especially in the modern age of NIL, going into the state of Texas and beating out the big three (Texas Tech, Texas, and Texas A&M) is nearly impossible.

In spite of this, the Vols remain high on Jackson’s list, and the next few months will be crucial if the Vols are to get him to commit to Rocky Top.

Kenneth Simon (4-star DB)

Tennessee is trying its hardest to keep Vols' legacy Kenneth Simon at home. The Brentwood Academy star this past season and at the Navy All-American game.

Simon announced a top four of Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.

Simon told On3’s Chad Simmons that he is getting down to the wire for his commitment.

By the looks of things, it will likely come down to Tennessee or Alabama. He recently visited Knoxville for Tennessee’s Junior day and he was in Tuscaloosa this weekend for Alabama’s Junior Day.

He detailed what he is looking for and before he commits, and what stands out to him about Tennessee to Vols on SI.

“I kind of just see if I can imagine myself being in the building every day with the people. (What makes the Vols different) is the fan base and the culture that runs through the building. I have a great relationship with Coach Inge and Heupel. I love coach Inge’s relationship with the players and how everyone else in the building speaks about coach Inge.”