Tennessee is still working hard to keep its foot on the gas in the 2028 class, and one of the names that keeps coming up is Brentwood Academy safety Braylen Bedford.
Bedford has already built a reputation as a strong cover man and a threat in the return game, and the early rankings back that up. Rivals lists him as high as the No. 44 prospect in the country, the No. 4 safety, and the No. 2 player in Tennessee.
After Brentwood Academy opened the season Thursday against Baylor, Bedford spoke with Vols On SI about where things stand with Tennessee and a handful of other schools. Even in a loss, he felt there were positives in his own performance.
"I feel like I did pretty good. Really just my vocal standpoint, I could get better on that with my teammates. Being a more vocal teammate," Bedford said following the loss to begin the season.
From there, Tennessee’s place in his recruitment came into focus quickly. Bedford said the Vols are firmly in the mix among his current favorites.
"They are one of my top schools right now. I got a few top schools right now, and they are definitely one of them," Bedford said.
Visits are next on the agenda, and one game in particular has his attention. Bedford said he plans to take in a few Tennessee games this season, with the Texas matchup standing out most.
"I am going to a couple games this season," Bedford said. "I like that Texas game, there's a few of them, but I like that Texas game."
Tennessee also has a built-in advantage at Bedford’s school. The Vols already have two commits from Brentwood Academy: wide receiver target Kesean Bowman and legacy linebacker commit Kenneth Simon II. Both have been making their pitch.
"They have been trying to get me there every day," Bedford said laughingly. "They want me to commit, but it's too early for that right now," Bedford said.
For now, Bedford is leaning toward waiting until after the season before making any kind of decision, with official visits likely part of the process.
"I am going to probably wait sometime after the season, probably for the OVs (official visits). I am going to go on my OVs first maybe," Bedford said.
He also made it clear that Tennessee is in good shape to land one of those official visits.
"I am very comfortable saying Tennessee is likely to get an official visit, because I could see myself in their play scheme, and they really make me feel like family, I love it there," Bedford said.
Bedford said he has already built a connection with Josh Heupel, and the Tennessee coach has kept the message simple.
"Coach Josh Heupel is a coach I have connected with. I have been talking with him a lot," Bedford said. "His message in the past has been, keep doing what I am doing, stay healthy, and all of that."
He’s also taken a look at what Jim Knowles brings to the table, even though Knowles has not coached a game yet in Knoxville.
"I have seen some videos of how Jim Knowles does the drills and stuff like that," Bedford said.
The recruitment is still early, and Bedford said his list could change as the season moves along. For now, the schools that are standing out most are Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas A&M.
"Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas A&M," Bedford said.
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