Tennessee football currently has the No. 10 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, led by five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, and Josh Heupel is looking to add another blue-chip prospect from North Carolina.
247Sports insider Tom Loy reported Tennessee is in the best spot to land four-star offensive lineman Leo Delaney.
"Keep an eye on Tennessee and Charlotte (NC) Providence Day School Top247 offensive lineman Leo Delaney," Loy reported. "The Volunteers have always been in a good spot with the 6-6, 280-pounder, who is ranked as the No. 63 overall player in the 2026 class by 247Sports, but it's clear now that sources at Tennessee believe he's on commit watch in the coming months."
Delaney is currently the No. 63 player in the 2026 class, the No. 5 ranked inside offensive lineman, and the No. 6 player out of North Carolina, according to 247 Sports' player ratings.
Tennessee is competing with Michigan and Clemson for Delaney's commitment. At this point in his recruiting process, those three schools are Delaney's top three choices.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native was a teammate of 2025 five-star offensive lineman David Sanders Jr., which gives Tennessee an advantage to sign Delaney in the 2026 recruiting class.
Loy also noted that Sanders and Delaney are still friends despite Sanders's being an early enrollee in Knoxville since January.
Tennessee is replacing four starters on the offensive line this year, creating a big need up front for the Vols.
Tennessee made recruiting the offensive line a priority, and as a result, it signed Sanders, four-star interior offensive lineman Nic Moore, and three-star Antoni Ogumoro. The Vols also signed interior offensive linemen Sam Pendleton and Wendell Moe Jr. out of the transfer portal.
The Vols also have the commitment of four-star tackle Gabriel Osenda in the 2026 recruiting class with the hopes to also add Delaney in the near future.