Tennessee’s 2028 recruiting board just got a lot more interesting.
Five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall has cut his list to 12 schools, and the Vols made the group. Tennessee is in the mix with Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Texas A&M, Miami, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas and Oregon, according to Hayes Fawcett.
That’s a heavyweight field for one of the most coveted defenders in the cycle. Hall had offers from plenty of other programs, too, but they did not survive the latest trim, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Northwestern, SMU and more.
Hall brings the kind of profile that explains why so many major programs are still in the hunt. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds by 247, while Fawcett described him as 6’5 and 270.
Either way, the production and projection are clear. Hall is a five-star on 247 Composite, ranked No. 2 overall in the nation, which also makes him the top-rated defender in the class.
He is the No. 1 defensive lineman and the No. 1 player in Kentucky.
The Louisville native plays at Christian Academy of Louisville, and Tennessee’s main connection on the trail is defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
247 scouting analyst Gabe Brooks offered this assessment of Hall: “Major talent with impressive catalog of two-way experience, physical tools, athleticism, football pedigree, and multi-sport background (basketball).” Brooks also noted that Hall “Owns snaps at a variety of DL spots and multiple OL positions.
Displays advanced body control and reactive quickness in myriad situations. Flashes serious sudden redirection as an interior run defender…”
Where Hall lines up long term is still not fully settled, but the interior looks like the most likely landing spot.
Tennessee has one commitment in its 2028 class so far, and it’s a notable one. Last week, the Vols picked up four-star quarterback Kaden Craft, a top-10 quarterback prospect and the No. 131 player in the class by 247.
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Paul Finebaum, though, is not buying a simple bounce-back path. The ESPN analyst is projecting Tennessee to settle around 8-4 this season, a reminder that getting back to playoff level is a harder ask than arriving there once. For a program trying to turn Heupels success into something more durable, the question now is whether the Vols can answer that challenge and prove last years dip was just a pause, not a ceiling. [Read more 🡒]