Tennessee has gotten in early with one of the more imposing young offensive linemen in the country, and 2028 Darlington (GA) OL Rex George-Taylor made it clear the offer meant a lot.
George-Taylor announced on August 30 that the Volunteers had extended him an offer through Aaron Pittard, Tennessee’s offensive scouting coordinator. For the 11th-grader, it was a moment that landed hard.
"It felt great! Best news I have gotten in a while and extremely blessed to have been considered and reached out to by such a great school," George-Taylor said of his initially thoughts on the offer.
The Vols were the first D1 program to jump in, and that matters. George-Taylor’s film has already drawn attention in Knoxville, where the staff is interested in learning more about the junior offensive lineman as his recruitment starts to take shape.
At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, George-Taylor brings the kind of frame that jumps off the page immediately. Cincinnati, Mississippi State, and Connecticut have also offered since Tennessee got involved, and that list figures to keep growing as the season rolls on.
Size is the obvious starting point with the Darlington Tiger, but George-Taylor pointed to two other parts of his game when asked what stands out most.
"I think my athletic ability and being coachable stands out the most about me," George-Taylor told Vols on SI.
That coachability is a trait plenty of college staffs value heavily right now, especially with the sport changing so much around NIL and everything that comes with it.
George-Taylor’s fall plans are still up in the air, but that should sort itself out as the season goes on. If Tennessee can get the Peach State prospect on campus for a visit, the Vols could put themselves in a strong spot early.
In Other News...
Former Tennessee Transfers Are Turning Up In Some Awkward Places
When Tennessee turned over so much of its roster through the portal, the next step was always going to be seeing where all those former Volunteers landed. A sizable chunk stayed in the Power Four, and a notable number remained in the SEC, which is part of what makes the offseason so oddly familiar around Knoxville. The programs departures are scattered across the country now, and for Tennessee fans, the connections do not disappear just because the jerseys changed.
Peyton Lewis added another layer to that familiar feeling by showing up in a Week Zero game for Virginia, a reminder that the portal rarely keeps old ties at a distance for long. For Tennessee, the broader picture is bigger than any single move, with former players popping up in places that can feel a little awkward when the new season starts and old opponents suddenly include faces that once wore orange. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Barnes Has A Huge Recruiting Opportunity This Weekend
Tennessee is turning a football weekend into a full-court recruiting showcase, with the mens basketball staff set to host several elite prospects on official visits while the Vols have the campus spotlight. Among the visitors are five-star point guard Cayden Daughtry and four-star point guard Micah Gordon from the 2027 class, along with five-star forward Bentley Lusakueno from the 2028 class, giving Rick Barnes and his staff a chance to put the program in front of some of the nations most intriguing young talents.
The timing matters because these trips line up with football game weekends, when Knoxville is at its liveliest and the athletic department can lean into the atmosphere. Tennessee is not the only program trying to make an impression, but the Vols will also have the Lady Vols welcoming five-star point guard Cece Dennis, adding another notable recruiting stop to what could be a busy and important stretch for the school across both programs. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Saw A Week 2 Problem For Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech walked out of its opener with a 14-13 loss to Colorado, and the way it unfolded should have Tennessee fans paying attention. The Yellow Jackets led by six late, but Colorado found the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left, turning what looked like a manageable finish into a painful first-game collapse.
The bigger concern for Georgia Tech was on offense, where the Jackets never found the end zone and finished with only 51 rushing yards while Colorado piled up 183 on the ground. Even the final chance to escape with a win ended in frustration after a former Tennessee transfer got in the way, a reminder that one rough Saturday can expose more than just a scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]