Josh Heupel’s Tennessee run has been built on recruiting wins that keep showing up on Saturdays and, eventually, in the NFL. The Vols have stacked enough high-end talent that picking the best player from each class is no easy exercise, but a few names rise quickly to the top.
The 2022 class belongs to Dylan Sampson. He came in as a three-star recruit, but by 2024 he had turned into one of the defining players of the Heupel era.
Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns, earned SEC Player of the Year honors, and gave Tennessee the kind of offensive stability it needed with Nico Iamaleava in 2024. James Pearce Jr. went in the first round from that class, but Sampson’s college production makes him the clear choice here.
In 2023, Arion Carter stands out in a class that may be one of the weaker ones of the Heupel era. The linebacker has been a dependable tackler and a strong run defender, and his value goes beyond the stat sheet. He brings leadership, a high football IQ, and looks like a natural fit for Jim Knowles’ defense this fall.
The 2024 class gives Tennessee another dynamic weapon in Braylon Staley. The choice between him and Mike Matthews was a real one, but Staley gets the nod after being named SEC Freshman of the Year.
He caught 68 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns, then flashed the kind of game-breaking speed and yards-after-catch burst that makes him one of the most dangerous playmakers around. He also had five games with at least 90 receiving yards.
For 2025, Ty Redmond edges out offensive tackle Davis Sanders Jr. in a close call between two freshmen who handled SEC football right away. Redmond led all freshmen with 12 passes defended, and that production, along with his length and ball skills, gives him the edge. He already made an impression as a third-team All-SEC selection, and his ceiling is obvious.
The 2026 class is still waiting for its first snap, so this one is a projection. Faizon Brandon is the pick to emerge as the best of the group. Tennessee’s 2026 class is described as the best on paper since the heyday of recruiting, with three five-star players, and Brandon’s path to the starting job from day one is a big reason he was such a highly rated recruit in the first place.
In Other News...
Neyland Is Getting A Fresh Look Before Tennessees Biggest 2026 Moments
Neyland Stadium is getting a fresh playing surface as the University of Tennessee Grounds Crew has installed new real grass ahead of the 2026 football season. The timing fits a stadium that has spent plenty of time serving as more than a football venue lately, with Neyland recently hosting a Savannah Bananas game and a Luke Combs concert before attention turned back to Saturdays in the fall.
The reset comes with a loaded 2026 slate waiting on the other side, beginning with a home opener against Furman on Sept. 5 and rolling into a run of SEC matchups that will quickly test the new field. Texas is on the early schedule in a Checker Neyland atmosphere, and the rest of the home calendar brings the kind of opponents that will keep the stadium in the spotlight well beyond opening weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Transfer Haul Just Earned A Ranking Vols Fans Will Debate
Tennessees offseason transfer haul already looked ambitious on paper, and now it has a little more external validation to go with it. Three Man Weaves 2027 rankings placed three Vols among its top 100 transfers, giving Rick Barnes roster a national spotlight after Tennessee added eight players from the portal and reshaped much of the lineup in one busy stretch.
Jalen Haralson, Terrence Hill and Juke Harris all landed in the mix, with Tennessee set to lean on a group that arrives from Notre Dame, VCU and Wake Forest, respectively. The ranking will only fuel the usual debate around how quickly portal-heavy teams can mesh, especially with several other highly regarded players on the schedule and plenty of chances for these new faces to prove the list right or wrong. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Is Getting Preseason Respect But Two Huge Questions Remain
Phil Steeles preseason list has given Tennessee a respectable early perch, slotting the Vols at No. 18 and eighth in the SEC. That kind of placement says there is real belief in what Josh Heupel has coming back, especially with a schedule that features several ranked league opponents and, in a helpful twist, most of those games set for Knoxville.
Even so, the optimism comes with two obvious asterisks. Tennessee is breaking in a new defensive system under coordinator Jim Knowles, and the offense still has to settle the most important spot on the field before anyone can treat the ranking as more than a summer snapshot. ESPN has pointed to the quarterback race as one of the biggest uncertainties in the country, which is exactly why the Vols ceiling feels so high and their floor still feels hard to pin down. [Read more 🡒]