Tennessee was one of a couple of visits versatile in-state three-star recruit Javonte Smith made in recent weeks. He also visited West Virginia and Arkansas over the past few weeks and visited Missouri at the end of May.
After his visit to Tennessee, he shared he would make his commitment decision on Tuesday, June 24, but that decision date has since been postponed to Tuesday, July 8.
Smith shared on social media that he has decided to delay his commitment date by two weeks so he can be surrounded by his teammates, coaches, and family during his decision.
— Javonte Smith (@javonte_smith1) June 24, 2025
Tennessee is high on Smith's list. He narrowed his decision down to four schools, including Tennessee. During his visit,Smith sat down with Josh Heupel to talk about his vision of Tennessee's offense with Smith's involvement.
"His message to me was that he would love to have me. He talked about me being an athlete," Smith said. "He thinks I am very versatile and athletic. He said he'd like to use my speed and strength and my physicality to the best. Iron sharpens iron. Meeting with him, he is very determined."
Smith spoke highly of his visit to Rocky Top, calling it an eye-opener, which resulted in Tennessee being at the top of his list.
"[Tennessee] is at the top. I still have to take it all in and compare it and not compare it to all my other visits. Just got to make the best decision I can to put me in the best position for my life.
"It helped Tennessee's cause. They did come in late and I did bump a visit for Tennessee. This really opened my eyes, and I really enjoyed it.
Tennessee currently has the No. 14 recruiting class in the country, according to On3 Sports as Heupel, and the Vols look to add a few more commits to the 2026 recruiting class ahead of the season.