While Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel isn't still 100 percent done in filling out his 2025 roster, he's already been hard at work with his staff in getting things going with the 2026 class. Thus far, Tennessee has picked up seven known verbal pledges.
However, with 5-star signal-caller Faizon Brandon doing some recruiting to help the team out, could some big news be on the way at some point soon? There are several 2026 talents who have strong interest in playing for the Vols. In this piece, we take a look at three players in particular who we think could end up heading to Knoxville down the road:
4-star wide receiver Joel Wyatt
Joel Wyatt just took a recent unofficial visit to meet with the Tennessee staff and things couldn't have gone much better for him. Shortly after his visit, On3's Steve Wiltfong put in a prediction for the Vols to land the speedster. If that happens, it'd be a major get for the offense.
Wyatt is ranked four stars and the No. 7 wideout in the country per 247Sports. Per the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 13 WR in the country and No. 3 player from Tennessee. Heupel always wants to keep the top talent home and he'd be doing just that if Wyatt commits.
4-star linebacker Rodney Colton Jr.
Just like Wyatt, Rodney Colton Jr. recently took a visit to Knoxville to check out Tennessee. However, Colton was previously committed to South Carolina, backed off that pledge and then he was on his way to the UT campus a handful of days after.
Colton is ranked four stars and the No. 11 CB in the country per the 247Sports Composite. It's not going to be easy for Heupel to sign him, as Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU and many others have put offers on the table.
5-star wide receiver Tristen Keys
Last but not least, those of you who follow Tennessee recruiting closely probably knew that 5-star wideout Tristen Keys was going to be on this list. Keys has college superstar written all over him, as he's the No. 2 WR in the country and No. 1 player from Mississippi.
Keys hasn't hidden in letting everyone know how high he is on the Vols. During the season, 247's Tom Loy put in a 'Crystal Ball' pick for Tennessee to land the speedster. Keep an eye on Alabama and Texas A&M here too, but UT looks to be in good shape.