During Josh Heupel's time at Tennessee, he has always made recruiting the state of Tennessee a major priority. The Vols' high school recruiting starts and ends with adding hometown targets. In the 2026 class, the Vols had nine commits from Tennessee, their most recruited state. When it comes to the class of 2027, the philosophy hasn't changed.
Tennessee featured multiple times on ESPN’s top 100 college football games of 2025
A major target at wide receiver, Kesean Bowan, a player from Brentwood Academy, has been on Vols fans' radar for quite some time now. The 6'1" wideout was expected to announce his commitment on February 10, but he moved it back to 12th, and now he has decided to move it back once again.
Bowman told Rivals that "I am just not ready."
NEW: Elite 2027 WR Kesean Bowman will push back his announcement, he tells @ChadSimmons_⏳
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 28, 2026
“I am just not ready.”
Details: https://t.co/phAfFWkSgu https://t.co/MTj8vkTtxs pic.twitter.com/brykjv16Tx
Bad news for Tennessee as Kesean Bowman moves his committment back again
Bowman is one of the best wideouts in the class of 2027, as the 247Sports composite has him rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 6 wide receiver in the class. He’s a speedy wideout who gets in and out of his breaks quickly, making him a sharp and effective route runner. The competition for Bowman is elite as the Vols will have to beat out Vandy, Oregon, Ohio State, and Miami.
Bowman was most recently on campus for the Tennessee versus UAB game, where the Vols won 56-24. Ideally, the Vols can get the in-state wideout back on campus soon.
Seeing Bowman push back his commitment is a tough blow, as it gives elite programs more time to gain ground on Tennessee. Many Vols fans were hoping the staff could lock down the highly touted wideout next month, but that wait just got a little longer. There is no timetable for when Bowman will announce his commitment, but it's likely he will take his summer official visits and decide from there.
Although this is a bad break for Heupel, Tennessee has had a strong start to the 2027 class with four commits: four-star offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo, four-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife, three-star cornerback Kamauri Whitffield, and three-star linebacker JP Peace.