There was plenty to keep an eye on Friday night in Franklin, Tennessee, but one name drew the loudest buzz: Tennessee quarterback commit Derrick Baker.
The game between Battle Ground Academy (Tennessee) and the Milton Eagles (Georgia) brought together several Vols targets, including Kohen Dial, Maddox Porter, and Maximus Curry, who were each playing for the state of Tennessee representative team. Milton also featured Baker, along with Landon Ghea and a few others, giving Tennessee observers a chance to watch a handful of recruiting priorities in one place.
Baker made the most of the spotlight. He piled up a slew of touchdowns and hurt the defense in more than one way, finding the end zone both on the ground and through the air. By the end of the night, he had the kind of performance that turned heads.
It may have been his strongest game of the season so far. Baker looked sharp, and the showing only reinforced what Tennessee is getting: not just a dual-threat quarterback, but a player who leads, competes and keeps pushing to improve.
Tennessee’s 2027 running back group is already taking shape, and it’s an impressive one. The Vols have two commitments at the position in Baylor High School’s David Gabriel-Georges and Westview’s Asa Barnes.
Both backs had strong outings for their schools and continue to show steady growth as the season goes on. There’s a real sense that both are getting better, and they have the ceiling to be special down the road. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that this is the best running back class Tennessee has signed in a long time, maybe ever.
As for one of Tennessee’s top remaining targets, he has already taken visits to Ohio State and Georgia. Whether he makes it to Tennessee remains to be seen, but if the Vols want a real shot at flipping him from Ohio State, getting him on campus will matter.
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September 26 will be Brandons first real crash course in what SEC life looks like when the stakes and the stage both jump at once. Tennessee does not have the luxury of easing him into the league schedule, and Texas brings the kind of early test that can expose young quarterbacks quickly, especially in a matchup that will set the tone for both teams before the rest of the conference slate really takes hold. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Defense Has The Talent But One Issue Still Lingers
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Still, Campbells bigger point was that the Vols have to clean up the details before the talent really starts showing up on Saturdays. He emphasized consistent execution, better technique and fewer penalties, and said the challenge has been carrying practice intensity into game action. It is the kind of issue Tennessee can live with in August, but one that becomes a lot harder to ignore once the season starts to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
One Hall Of Fame Voter Sees Tennessee Very Differently Right Now
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The ranking also gives the Vols a familiar measuring-stick moment, because the group at the top remains Texas at No. 1. For Tennessee, the bigger question now is whether that early recognition turns into something more lasting as the season settles in, with the poll serving as one more sign that the win over Georgia Tech may have mattered beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]