Kadin Fife has landed on a new home after backing off Tennessee.
The former Vols defensive line commit announced his pledge to Louisville, making the ACC program his next stop just under three weeks after reopening his recruitment. Fife had originally committed to Tennessee back in November following an official visit to Knoxville for the SEC matchup against Oklahoma, but that commitment changed after he took multiple early summer official visits and stepped away from Josh Heupel’s program.
What makes the move a little more interesting is that Louisville was not one of the schools Fife officially visited this summer. His three official visits went to Ole Miss, Georgia and Tennessee.
Fife checks in at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds and is rated as a four-star recruit. According to the 247sports composite rankings, he sits at No. 390 overall in the country, No. 46 among defensive linemen in the 2027 cycle and No. 19 in Alabama.
He is also changing high schools for his senior season. Fife spent his junior year at Chattooga High School in Summerville, Georgia, then moved to Cherokee County in Centre, Alabama for his final prep season. The two schools are in different states, but they’re only about 30 miles apart.
Louisville’s addition gives Jeff Brohm another piece for a 2027 class that continues to grow. Brohm, now in his fourth season leading the Cardinals, has guided Louisville to a 28-12 record over the last three seasons. The program has won nine or 10 games in each of those years as it pushes toward College Football Playoff contention.
Fife is the 16th commit in Louisville’s 2027 class, which now ranks No. 50 nationally in the 247sports team rankings.
Tennessee, meanwhile, also sits at 16 commitments in its 2027 class, but the Vols have only one defensive lineman in the group so far: JUCO standout Christian Mays. Tennessee’s class is ranked No. 43 nationally and No. 14 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
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What Tennessee's Media Days Picks Could Signal About Vols Leadership
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Telanders selection is the one worth watching a little closer. Tennessee has plenty to sort out before fall, and the choices it makes for a stage like this can say as much about the locker room hierarchy as any offseason depth chart. When Heupel and the three players speak in Tampa, the Vols may not reveal much outright, but they could offer a useful hint about where the team sees its leadership and linebacker room headed. [Read more 🡒]