Josh Heupel dropped the ball by losing this elite in-state DB recruit to an SEC Rival

This is a tough recruiting loss for the Tennessee football program. Recruiting is full of ups and downs, but this one stings because of how much effort Josh Heupel and his staff put into recruiting in-state cornerback Miles Brown.

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Brown had been a priority target for Tennessee for a while and visited Knoxville several times, including for the Orange and White Game earlier this spring. In the end, though, SEC rival Kentucky came in and secured his commitment.

The 5-foot-11 defensive back is a four-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings and is the type of player who would have fit well in Jim Knowles’ defense. He’s a three-sport athlete who moves with purpose and has the versatility to play either cornerback or safety for Tennessee. Ultimately, though, he won’t be a Vol.

When committing to Kentucky Brown said, “Blue always been my color, tell BBN I’m coming home."

Tennessee loses Miles Brown to Kentucky

Losing an in-state recruit is always frustrating, but watching him commit to Kentucky makes it sting even more for Tennessee fans. I’ll give Kentucky and new head coach Will Stein credit, though, as they’ve done a really solid job recruiting so far with 16 commitments already in the class.

Still, it’s hard not to wonder how a defensive back wouldn’t want to play in Jim Knowles’ system. It feels like a perfect fit for versatile players like Brown, but I guess he wants to be a part of a potentially rising program like Kentucky.

This is now the second defensive back in as many days that Tennessee has lost out on. The Vols also missed on a four-star defensive back from Knoxville who ended up choosing Clemson . At some point, the staff has to start winning more of these in-state battles, especially at defensive back, since it’s been such a major focus for the staff this cycle.

Maybe I’m being a little too harsh on the Tennessee staff, because they did just land Madison, Tennessee, cornerback Brandon Leavell.

At 6-foot-1, Leavell has really good size, a strong offer sheet, and plenty of upside. Tennessee beat out programs like Clemson, Florida, and Florida State to land him. He also showed off his athleticism by recording four interceptions while putting up 700 yards at wide receiver. That’s a great pickup for the Vols, but the misses always stick with you much longer than the wins. I guess its just human nature.

Tennessee now has a big month of official visits ahead as they look to fill out the meat and potatoes of its recruiting class. With only eight commitments, Tennessee is not necessarily behind schedule, but the Vols do need to have a strong summer so they are not left scrambling to finish the 2027 class in the fall.

When the dust settles, maybe this wont even matter, but losing in-state priorities always stings and never makes you feel good. Heupel just needs to regroup and get the next one.

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