Tennessee fans should love what Brayden Rouse is doing at the Navy All-American Bowl

With the Transfer Portal-dominated college recruiting coverage right now, let's not forget the fact that Josh Heupel just signed the best class he's signed since arriving at Tennessee. The Vols' 2026 recruiting class was the third best in the SEC, too, just behind Georgia and Alabama.

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Right after the new year, the top high schoolers compete in the Navy All-American Bowl. The Vols were well represented this time around, having commits in the 2026 and 2027 classes compete in the game.

One of the biggest stock-climbers coming out of the game was Tennessee linebacker signee Brayden Rouse, and it wasn’t subtle. The Marietta, Georgia native turned heads all week in practice, to the point that Rivals singled him out as one of the event’s biggest risers. Even more impressive, Rouse was the only linebacker to earn that distinction. He didn’t just blend in with a loaded field, as he separated himself consistently, standing out as practices went on and proving he belonged with the nation’s best.

Brayden Rouse named a biggest riser at the All-American Bowl

If there wasn't enough already to like about the 2026 class in Knoxville, it just got even better. Rouse, being the only linebacker named to the list, shows how well William Inge has recruited. Signee TJ White is also one of the top linebackers in the 2026 class, and now that Tennessee has two studs coming in the middle of the defense, it's in good hands. I have always loved bringing in an uber-athletic linebacker in every class, and Tennessee has two coming in.

Rouse is an elite athlete who played all over the field in high school. He played Linebacker, safety, edge rusher, tight end, and wide receiver. Rouse is a guy who can do it all. He is an off-ball linebacker primarily, but he can also rush the passer, making him the perfect chess piece for Jim Knowles to deploy.

When a guy is already rated as high as Rouse is (No. 143 in the nation), it's tough to get a major ratings bump, but I'd bet that Rouse does make his way up higher in Rivals' final 2026 rankings.

Vols fans should be excited about what the future holds, as Josh Heupel has reloaded this roster with a plethora of young talent.