Big Orange Report May 29 , 2025

 


Football Recruiting Heat Up

Last week the Tennessee football staff and support groups entertained over 20 prospects at the annual 865 event in Knoxville. While high school recruiting seems to have been forced out of the headlines by the NIL and transfer portal news, it is still important to Coach Josh Heupel that the Volunteers continue to bring in young, fresh talent to the program each year.
The group that arrived on Rocky Top was headlined by quarterback commitment Faizon Brandon who wanted to be in town to assist Vol recruiters with securing addition verbals from some of the talent on had. Brandon (6-3.5, 195, 4.5) will be a senior this fall at Grimsley H.S. in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has been rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the country by 247.com and Rivals lists him as the No. 1 quarterback recruit and No. 2 overall prospect in the nation. He is also a five star rated player and the No. 3 quarterback on the ESPNU charts. Brandon is a very talented athlete that is a dual threat quarterback with a strong arm and very quick feet with well above average speed. He held offers from Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Ohio State and 20 plus more schools before committing to UT.
Top Commitments Thus Far
Tyreek King-- WR (6-0, 175, 4.5) from Knoxville Catholic-- Rivals slotted King as the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the Class of '26. ESN has him at No. 6 and the No. 52 overall prospect in the nation in this recruiting cycle. King is fast, shifty and has great hands. He picked the Vols over Alabama, Auburn, Michigan and Texas.
Gabriel Osenda-- OT (6-7, 330)-- Osenda committed back in January and has resisted overtures from several other programs including Florida, Georgia and Ohio State. 247.com placed him as the No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 19 overall prospect in the country for 2026. He is a big, powerful blocker with good feet and leverage while protecting the passer.
Carson Sneed-- TE (6-5.5, 240, 4.65) from Donaldson Christian Academy in Nashville-- An instate priority for Tennessee recruiters, Sneed is slotted at No. 6 tight end by Rivals and No. 9 by ESPNU. Rivals also calls him the No. 111 overall recruit this year. He had offers from all over the country including Oregon, Miami, Alabama and Ohio State. Sneed has been a firm pledge since August of 2024.
Tyran Evans-- WR (6-3, 180, 4.5) from Charlotte, N.C.-- An under the radar pass catcher that just began attracting suitors back in Nov. of last year. He verballed Tennessee in January while also holding offers from Miami, Florida State, Florida and North Carolina.
C.J. Edwards-- Edge (6-5, 220, 4.65) from St. Josephs H.S. in Metuchen, N.J.-- This is a player that is not high on the national charts but is a guy that veteran Vol defensive line coach Rodney Garner made a priority early on. Edwards gave Tennessee the good word on Feb.  25. Garner likes his "twitch" and quick first step off the edge, rushing the passer. He had firm offers from Michigan, North Carolina and Pitt among others.
New Commit
Last Wednesday, the defensive staff landed a top instate target when four-star rated edge Zach Groves announced he was ending his recruitment and was giving Tennessee his verbal pledge. Groves (6-4, 240, 4.7) will be a senior at East Robertson High School in Cross Plains, Tenn. He has over 20 offers and gave serious consideration to Michigan, Oklahoma and LSU before deciding Knoxville would be his landing spot.
Vol Notes
The AFLAC Kickoff Classic between Tennessee and Syracuse on Aug. 30th will be televised by ABC. The game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta will get underway at 11 a.m. CDT.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler has filed a lawsuit petitioning the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility. Comments from lawyers in the Knoxville area seem to indicate that he has a good case and may be allowed to return to the Vols this next school year.
Tennessee's Danny White has been named the national Athletic Director of the Year by the Business Journal of America. 

The Big Orange Report brought to you by:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What A Game! Dyer County beats Dyersburg with PAT in OT

Image
  Jason Peevyhouse Editor, JP Productions Sports With the fanbases from both local schools in attendance and supporting their favorite teams, Dyer County rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to score twice in the third quarter. But, a late touchdown by the Trojans forced overtime where a special teams became the most important part of the game as the Choctaws blocked Dyersburg’s extra point attempt then were able to score and sophomore DC kicker Jotham Powell hit a PAT for the 35-34 win to open the season. The game marked the first career win for new Dyer County Head Coach Justin Dubruiel. It was also the first win by a Choctaw team at Dyersburg since 2007. “It was good,” Dubruiel said following the win. “It was good for our kids and good for Dyer County. “Whenever you can beat Dyersburg, it’s a fun night for everybody.” Trailing by a touchdown at the half, Dyer County was able to get a stop on defense, forcing a three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, Choctaw juni...
Read more

Trojans headed to Region 7-3A Championship for the first time in 21 years

Image
  Jason Peevyhouse JP Productions Sports Thanks to a stellar second half which saw the Trojans outscore Haywood 45-23, the Dyersburg boys will play for a region championship for the first time since 2004 after the black and gold’s 68-55 win over the Tomcats on Tuesday night in Newbern. "I think our kids were extremely engaged from the tip," Dyersburg Head Coach Blaine Mahaffey said. "I thought we rebounded well all night.  "And then, in the second half, when we were able to play a little bit better offensively, I think it showed up more." Trailing by nine at the break, the Trojans cut it to eight early in the second half but a three-pointer from Haywood put the Tomcats back up 35-24 with just over seven minutes left in the frame. Dyersburg went on a tear after a Breyden Turnage bucket was followed by a layup from AJ Higgins. This opened up four-minute stretch which saw the Trojans outscore Haywood 19-3 and was capped by a Jeff Cobb three-point play and tw...
Read more