5-star Tennessee target announces commitment date and Vols are still in the hunt

There are still a number of big-name players that the Tennessee football team is hoping to land this summer and fall. While the 2026 class is looking brilliant, there's still some work to be done and the hope is that 5-star offensive lineman Darius Gray will sign with UT in December.

On Saturday, Gray provided quite the big update for his recruitment, letting everyone know that he will be announcing his commitment on Aug. 22. This remains a five-team battle, though there's speculation that LSU and South Carolina may be out in front:

5-star lineman Darius Gray will announce his commitment on Aug. 22

Gray has a Top 5 of Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Clemson and Ohio State. Brian Kelly and Shane Beamer have gone above and beyond with their recruiting efforts of late, though, which is why the Tigers and Gamecocks are the two squads that many people have out in front.

It wasn't long ago that in-state 4-star offensive lineman Kamari Blair shocked a lot of us when he committed to South Carolina over Tennessee. Could Gray end up joining Blair in Columbia at the next level? That's certainly in the cards, but there's plenty of time for Heupel to catch up to the Gamecocks and Tigers.

Thus far for the 2026 cycle, Tennessee has picked up three commitments for the offensive line: 5-star OT Gabriel Osenda, 4-star OT J.B. Shabazz and 3-star interior offensive lineman Edward Baker are all on board.

Gray took his official visit to Tennessee in the spring and Heupel did a strong job of turning his head. Now, the Vols have around four weeks to try and convince Gray that his future belongs in Knoxville. It's not going to be easy at all, but again, there's time for Tennessee to make an impact on him. Might things change for Gray and Tennessee if the Vols land Tristen Keys and Savion Hiter? Most likely, but things are up in the air here. Keep in mind that Hiter will also announce next month.