Josh Heupel has made a habit of finding more than just the obvious stars in recruiting. At Tennessee, he’s turned underrated prospects into major contributors, and a few of them have blown past whatever expectations came with their rankings.
That starts with Ty Redmond, a three-star cornerback who arrived last fall and immediately had to grow up fast when injuries hit Tennessee’s secondary. Redmond didn’t just fill a spot - he settled in and played like he belonged.
As a true freshman in 2025, he finished with 43 tackles, 12 passes defended, a tackle for loss and three interceptions. Now he’s in line for an even bigger role this season, expected to step in as CB1 next to Auburn transfer Kayin Lee in Jim Knowles’ new defense.
If he keeps trending this way, an NFL Draft future is very much on the table.
James Pearce Jr. came in with more hype than Redmond, but even a four-star ranking didn’t fully capture what Tennessee was getting. Heupel’s first recruiting class in Knoxville landed Pearce over Missouri, and while he was already a strong prospect, he was still ranked 202 in the 247Sports composite.
Then he kept climbing. As a high school senior, Pearce jumped nearly 400 spots in the rankings, and once he got to college, the production kept coming.
He put up 10 sacks as a true sophomore, then turned that into a first-round selection by the Atlanta Falcons. He was also a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
That’s a long way from being just another good recruit.
At the top of the list is Dylan Sampson, the three-star back who became one of the biggest success stories of the Heupel era. Tennessee beat out Purdue for his commitment, and from there Sampson took off.
Who would have guessed a three-star recruit would become the SEC Player of the Year in 2024? He was a huge part of Tennessee reaching the College Football Playoffs, rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 20 catches for 143 yards.
That season pushed him into the fourth round of the NFL Draft, where the Cleveland Browns took him, and he’s already carved out a role as a third-down back behind Quinshon Judkins.
Sampson showed what he could be early, rushing for nearly 400 yards as a true freshman, and never really slowed down from there. In a stretch full of recruiting wins for Heupel, Sampson may be the clearest example of Tennessee finding a player who ended up far beyond the label next to his name.
In Other News...
Tennessees Quarterback Battle May Already Be Telling Fans Something Big
Tennessees quarterback room is already one of the most watched parts of fall camp, and for good reason. The Vols are set to sort through a competition that includes true freshman Faizon Brandon, redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre and transfer Ryan Staub, a mix that gives the staff both youth and experience as it tries to identify the next answer under center.
Brandon has been the name drawing the most attention so far, not just because of his recruiting profile, but because of how quickly he has taken to the offense. Coaches have been encouraged by his early progress, and that kind of head start can matter in a room where every rep counts. Even before the competition really settles in, there is already a sense that Tennessee may be seeing the shape of its future at quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Biggest 2026 NIL Price Tag Comes With One Huge Twist
Tennessees roster-building under the modern NIL system has produced a familiar sort of arms race, with the biggest numbers often attached to the most coveted young talent. Left tackle David Sanders Jr. sits at the top of the active group with a reported $1.7 million valuation, while quarterback George MacIntyre and a cluster of freshmen and juniors are also being discussed in the six- and seven-figure range. It is a reminder that for the Volunteers, the price of keeping pace in the SEC is no longer just about recruiting rankings or depth charts, but about how aggressively the program can secure the players it believes will matter most.
Chaz Coleman is the twist in that picture. The edge rusher reportedly signed Tennessees largest NIL deal at $2 million, only for the arrangement to change after a medical disqualification, leaving the school to pay out roughly $200,000 before he moved on. For a program trying to balance immediate roster needs with long-term investment, that kind of turn is exactly why NIL has become as much about risk management as it is about talent acquisition. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Finally Gets The National Respect Vols Fans Wanted
College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein gave Tennessee another sign that the Vols are being viewed the way their fans have long wanted, slotting them No. 10 in his Rothstein Power 45. For a program that has spent recent seasons trying to turn strong regular-season teams into something even more dangerous in March, the ranking fits the broader sense around this roster: Tennessee has the talent to be taken seriously as a national title threat.
Rick Barnes has used the transfer portal to reshape the group with a clear eye toward more scoring punch, adding Juke Harris, Terrence Hill Jr., Jalan Haralson, Dai Dai Ames, Miles Rubin, Braedan Lue, Christian Fermin and DeWayne Brown II. The Vols still want to win the familiar way, with defense and rebounding at the center of everything, but the real test is coming soon enough in a demanding non-conference slate that should say plenty about how ready this team is for the postseason. [Read more 🡒]