What the Tennessee football team has been able to get done over the past month or so out on the recruiting trail has been pretty darn special. Josh Heupel deserves a lot of credit for what he’s accomplished. However, that doesn’t mean that everything has been perfect for Heupel and Co.
Earlier this week, 4-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair committed to South Carolina over Tennessee, which was a bit of a stunner. Now, another top target for the offensive line appears to be slipping away. In this case, we’re talking about 5-star hoss Darius Gray, who was in Knoxville last month for his official visit.
Not long ago, Gray trimmed down his list to a Top 5, with Tennessee making the cut. This gave Vols fans everywhere some hope that Gray would potentially announce his commitment to UT this summer. Unfortunately, that’s now looking unlikely, as there has been plenty of buzz that LSU is emerging as the leader for him. It doesn't help that 5-star OL Lamar Brown is also pushing for Gray to join him in Baton Rouge down the road:
BATON ROUGE IS HOME DG!!!🐯@dariusgrayy_ https://t.co/KhsMXtT8NZ
— Lamar Brown (@lamar1brown) July 13, 2025
It’s now feeling unlikely 5-star OL Darius Gray will commit to Tennessee football
In June, Gray indeed was on campus for his Tennessee OV and the staff did a fantastic job of making him feel like a priority. With so many elite prospects on board for the Vols, adding Gray was only going to make the ’26 haul even stronger - giving him the chance to block for 5-star QB Faizon Brandon was surely something that was discussed.
However, LSU and Brian Kelly have been taking things to a new level in showcasing Gray love, which could end up paying off for the Tigers in the near future. Should Gray give LSU his pledge, it’d be pretty disappointing and a tough loss recruiting wise for Heupel.
He’s also not the only highly-touted prospect that Tennessee is trying to land, but who could be going elsewhere. Savion Hiter is also a 5-star talent, ranked the No. 1 running back in the country. Hiter has long had Tennessee high on his list, but the same could be said for Michigan.
Earlier this month, a prediction came in for Hiter to spurn Tennessee to commit to Sherrone Moore. Previously, Hiter received a crystal ball pick on 247Sports to eventually sign with the Vols. That’s also not looking great. It’d be a shame if Heupel went 0-for-2 with Gray and Hiter. There’s no question they’d look great in Orange, but there’s a tall mountain to climb to make sure that happens.