Josh Heupel’s run at Tennessee has already brought in plenty of blue-chip talent, and the five-star names on his roster have come with very different levels of payoff. With the Vols also in position to potentially add another one in David Gabriel Georges in the coming days, it’s a good time to sort through how Heupel’s five-stars have stacked up by impact in Knoxville.
At the top of the list sits Mike Matthews, who emerged last season as one of Tennessee’s most important offensive pieces. As a true sophomore, he put together 53 catches for 813 yards and touchdowns, backing up the hype he carried out of high school when he picked Tennessee over Clemson, Georgia and USC. He’s expected to be a major part of the 2026 offense and a safety valve for whichever freshman quarterback wins the starting job.
Right behind him is David Sanders Jr., who has already shown enough to look like a future first-round NFL draft pick. In just one year in Knoxville, Sanders has flashed the kind of power and athleticism that can anchor an offensive line, and he was thrown into the fire in week five last season before holding his own the rest of the way. He finished with only two penalties in nearly 500 snaps, and there’s a strong case that he could move from good to great this fall.
Nico Iamaleava comes next. He was a solid part of Tennessee’s 2024 team and helped guide the Vols to the College Football Playoffs as the former No. 2 overall recruit.
Still, the production hasn’t fully matched the massive expectations attached to him, even if his career has been steady at the college level. The big-league ceiling that once had him pegged as a potential top-five draft pick hasn’t quite shown up.
Jordan Ross lands fourth. He arrived in Knoxville with major billing as a top-10 recruit and the country’s top-ranked edge rusher, but the full breakout never came together.
Ross has shown flashes, yet he also struggled to stack consistent production, playing fewer than 300 snaps last year as a sophomore. He’s now at LSU, where he’s expected to play a key role on the defensive line after totaling just 1.5 sacks in two years.
The final group includes TK Keys, Faizon Brandon and Gabriel Osenda, three true freshmen who haven’t played a snap yet and can’t be properly judged on impact. Even so, all three were important pieces of Heupel’s 2026 class, which is his best since taking the job in Knoxville. Keys is regarded as one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the nation, Brandon could potentially start at quarterback as a true freshman, and Osenda is known as one of the best run blockers in the nation.
In Other News...
Boo Carter Just Got Pulled Into A Colorado Ranking Debate
ESPNs latest transfer portal reshuffle gave Colorado another bit of national attention, this time with wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. sliding into the No. 26 spot after a ranking change at the top of the list. Moore arrives with SEC production on his rsum and a reputation for being more than just a pass catcher, which is part of why his move from Texas to Colorado has drawn so much notice inside the program.
For Tennessee fans keeping an eye on the wider portal landscape, the more interesting wrinkle is how many names around Colorado still did not crack ESPNs Top 100, including Boo Carter, Danny Scudero and Gideon Lampron. Deion Sanders has been pushing the idea that preseason lists do not decide anything, and Moores fit under Brennan Marion only adds to the sense that Colorado is betting on role and leadership as much as rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Sent A Loud Message About Its Quarterback Situation
Tennessee is heading into SEC media days with a message that says as much about the quarterback room as anything else on the roster. Instead of sending a passer to Tampa for the July 20-23 event, the Vols will be represented by linebackers Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander, running back DeSean Bishop and coach Josh Heupel, a clear sign the starting job is still not settled after spring practice.
Heupel left the competition unresolved coming out of the spring, and the battle is set to carry into preseason work before the Vols make any final call. For a program trying to build momentum entering the fall, the absence of a quarterback at media days only sharpens the focus on how Tennessee plans to sort out its most important position. [Read more 🡒]