For Tennessee commit Brandon Leavell, the Third Saturday in October was about more than the Alabama game. The Knoxville trip gave him a chance to reconnect with the people he expects to be around for the long haul, and it also gave him another opening to work on one of the Volunteers’ biggest recruiting targets.
“It felt amazing getting back to Knoxville for such a big game like the Third Saturday in October,” Leavell said.
What stood out most to him was the time spent with Tennessee’s coaches and fellow commits. Leavell said the visit felt personal, the kind of stop that keeps a commitment feeling fresh instead of distant.
“I was very excited to see the coaches because they are more like family than anything,” Leavell said. “I think they were just excited to see me, especially on a special occasion like this past weekend.”
That same feeling carried over to the other prospects in Tennessee’s class. Leavell said the weekend gave the commits time to start building something that could matter once they’re all on campus together.
“I got to spend time with a lot of the commits this past weekend,” Leavell said. “It was a great experience being around those guys and building relationships that would last a long time. I’m glad I got to experience Saturday with those guys.”
The trip also had a more specific recruiting mission attached to it. Leavell is trying to help Tennessee land his cousin, Springfield High School cornerback Jermaine Cobbins, one of the most sought-after prospects in the country.
The Rivals Industry Ranking lists Cobbins as No. 18 nationally, No. 3 among cornerbacks, and No. 1 in Tennessee. Tennessee is in the mix, but so are Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Notre Dame, among others.
Leavell said the message he keeps pressing is simple.
“I talked to a couple of guys, and the main one was my cousin, Jermaine Cobbins,” Leavell said. “I have been working on trying to get him for a while now, and my biggest thing is why not stay home.”
Cobbins was also in Knoxville for the Alabama game, and that mattered for Tennessee’s push. According to Vols on SI, National Playmakers Academy director of scouting Hunter DeNote said Cobbins liked Tennessee’s defensive physicality and the atmosphere inside Neyland Stadium.
There’s also real coaching traction in the recruitment. That same report said Cobbins has had a relationship with Anthony Poindexter dating back to Poindexter’s time at Penn State, and cornerbacks coach Derek Jones has become more involved as well.
Leavell’s role adds something different: a family voice from a current Tennessee commit, making the case for staying close to home. It doesn’t lock anything in, but it does give the Vols another angle as they chase a major in-state talent.
In Other News...
Tennessees Costly 4th-And-1 Breakdown Deserves A Closer Look
A late fourth-and-1 became the kind of moment Tennessee would like back for a long time, with quarterback George MacIntyre unable to execute the intended handoff and the play ending in a loss of yards and a turnover on downs. It was the sort of breakdown that can swing a game in a hurry, and in this case it opened the door for South Carolina to tie things up before going on to win.
Josh Heupel and MacIntyre both pointed to the sequence as a misstep and a miscommunication, which only adds to the sting for Tennessee because the margin for error was already so thin. On a night when one clean exchange might have changed the finish, the Volunteers were left sorting through how a short-yardage call unraveled at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Benefits After South Carolinas Costly Postgame Chaos
Tennessee will collect an unexpected off-field benefit from one of the SECs newest enforcement measures after South Carolina was fined $500,000 for fans storming the field at Williams-Brice Stadium following a game-winning field goal against the Volunteers. The penalty marks the third field-storming fine in the conference this season and the first under the leagues flat-rate system, which replaced a more variable approach to these violations.
For Tennessee, the result is less about the dollar amount than the principle behind it. The money will be paid to the visiting team affected by the violation, giving the Volunteers a direct return from a night that ended in chaos for the home crowd. It is another reminder that the SEC is trying to make field-storming more expensive, even as the practice continues to create problems after close games. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Still Has Two Strengths That Should Worry Kentucky
Even after the 27-24 loss to South Carolina, Tennessee still has the kind of defensive backbone and ground game that can make life miserable for Kentucky. The Volunteers have piled up 35 sacks and 66 tackles for loss this season, numbers that speak to a front capable of changing games even when the offense does not fully capitalize. On the other side of the ball, DeSean Bishop gave Tennessee a needed spark with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown, a performance that also pushed him past some meaningful career benchmarks.
Now the bye week gives Tennessee a chance to reset before the Kentucky matchup, and that is where the Vols will lean on what has traveled best for them all year. If the defense keeps collapsing pockets and the run game keeps producing steady yards, Tennessee has a clear path to making the rivalry game uncomfortable for the Wildcats, even after the setback in Columbia. [Read more 🡒]