Tennessee still has life in the race for five-star EDGE rusher D.J. Jacobs, and the door appears to be open enough that this one could stretch all the way to signing day.
Jacobs, who is ranked by 247Sports as the top prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, has been committed to Ohio State since December 2025. Even so, he has spent the fall taking a harder look around, and Tennessee has stayed in the conversation throughout that stretch.
A big part of the Vols’ appeal is easy to understand. They have the advantage of being close to his family in Roswell, GA, and they also have a staff link to his father’s playing days. On top of that, Tennessee’s defensive profile this season has given the program real momentum with elite defensive recruits.
Brian Smith, host of the Locked On Transfer Portal podcast, talked about Jacobs on the Locked On (Miami) Canes show after Jacobs visited Miami last weekend and watched the Hurricanes beat Pittsburgh 52-23. Smith said he had recently heard Tennessee was still very much alive in the mix.
“It’s ironic that we’re talking about this,” Smith said about Jacobs on the show. “I spoke with somebody that’s pretty close to him and his family recently.
And he said Miami was definitely a possibility - this is right before he visited UM. And he said also, watch out for Tennessee.
He said they’re still open to opportunities - And I didn’t know it. This was just offered to me.
Somebody, like, knows that family. And I’m like, okay, if that’s the case, then anything is plausible.”
Smith added that money may no longer be the deciding factor, calling the NIL numbers across the schools Jacobs is considering “insane.” In his view, this stage of the recruitment may come down to “relationship” instead.
Tennessee’s on-field performance has also kept the Vols relevant in the chase. Smith pointed to the way the defense has played this year, while noting that Rodney Garner coaches the defensive line and once coached Jacobs’ father at Georgia. The Vols have been noticeably better under Jim Knowles this season than they were in Tim Banks’ final season in 2025.
On3’s Steve Wiltfong said before the season that Tennessee’s results on the field would be “pivotal” in the push for Jacobs. The Vols are not in the playoff picture right now, but they still have a shot to reach the 12-team field if they finish strong. They also have one of the nation’s most disruptive defenses, leading the country with 35 sacks this season.
Wiltfong also reported that Jacobs was in Knoxville for Tennessee’s game against Texas in September. The Vols did not win that night, but the atmosphere at Neyland Stadium was one of the season’s best, and Tennessee turned in one of its strongest defensive outings of the year.
Ohio State still has the obvious edge with a long-standing commitment already in place, but Jacobs has made this a legitimate finish-line battle. With Miami also in the picture and Tennessee still pushing, this recruitment has a chance to stay unsettled until the end.
In Other News...
Lady Vols Showed Off A Depth Tennessee Fans Will Notice Fast
The only exhibition game on Tennessees schedule offered an early look at how many different ways this Lady Vols roster can beat you, and Florida A&M had no answer for it. Tennessee rolled to a 132-63 win while forcing 37 turnovers and turning those takeaways into 45 points, the kind of pressure-to-points formula that can make a deep team even harder to handle once the games start to count.
Eight players finished in double figures, a sign that the scoring load could be spread around in a way Tennessee fans are likely to appreciate fast. White filled the box score with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, Minus added 12 points and seven rebounds, Smikle led the way with 19 points, and Janneh controlled the glass with 13 rebounds, giving the Lady Vols a glimpse of the balance they can lean on this season. [Read more 🡒]
DeSean Bishop Update Matters For Tennessees Stretch Run
DeSean Bishops day at South Carolina ended early, but Tennessee got a reassuring sign afterward. Josh Heupel said the running back is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming week, which matters as the Volunteers head into the stretch run with Bishop playing a bigger and bigger role in the offense.
Bishop has been pushing toward 1,000 rushing yards this season, and his presence gives Tennessee another reliable option as the games get tighter. With one year of eligibility still left after this season, keeping him available now and down the stretch looms as an important piece of the bigger picture for the Volunteers. [Read more 🡒]
Vols Suddenly Have A Real Shot At Key 2027 DB Target
Preston Glascos recruitment is moving into the home stretch, and Tennessee has positioned itself squarely in the mix for one of the more intriguing 2027 defensive backs in the region. The Grayson High School cornerback from Georgia is expected to make his college choice soon, and his list has been trimmed to Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee after a process that has already brought multiple scholarship offers and steady attention from major programs.
For the Vols, the encouraging part is that Glasco has remained in regular contact with the coaching staff and came away from a recent visit with Tennessee firmly in the conversation. That kind of late momentum matters in a battle like this, especially when the competition includes two heavyweight SEC neighbors, and it leaves Tennessee with a real opening as his decision approaches. [Read more 🡒]