Tennessee and Josh Heupel appear on verge of losing huge piece of the 2026 class

The Legend Bey saga continues, this time with some hard hitting details for Tennessee fans. Before we get into that, for the people who have been living under a rock, who is Legend Bey?

Legend Bey is a 4-star wide receiver from Forney, Texas, who was committed to Ohio State. On signing day a few weeks ago, Bey was wearing Buckeyes gear but ended up flipping to Tennessee. Bey then posted (and quickly deleted) on social media that his mother forced him to sign with Tennessee, and that he didn't want to be a Vol. Rumors started swirling that Bey's mom may have met with the Tennessee coaching staff before signing day and allegedly forged his signature. Even after signing with the Vols, Bey was working out in Ohio State gear.

The latest development on this front comes from Rivals' Sam Spiegelman on The Inside Scoop podcast, where he is reporting that Bey has requested a release from his letter of intent.

Legend Bey requests release

It looks more and more likely that Bey won't make it to Knoxville. If Spiegelman is correct, it's only a matter of time before Heupel lets Bey go. This would be a tough loss for Tennessee because he truly is electric when he has the ball in his hands.

The good news? Tennessee will be just fine. The offense has been clicking for years under Heupel. The Vols have put wideout after wideout in the league. Tristen Keys is a 5-star wide receiver, and he's coming to Knoxville without any drama. Plus, Tyreek King is a 4-star borderline top-100 player in the 2026 class who is an electric athlete.

Furthermore, the Vols have Braylon Staley on the roster, who just won the SEC Freshman of the Year award. The room is as deep as ever, and losing Bey sucks, but it's far from the end of the world. Kelsey Pope is an elite wide receivers coach, and he will find more studs to fill out his room.

Bey is missing out on a great opportunity to learn from one of the best teachers in the game and play in a passing-friendly offense.