More good news for the Tennessee football team out on the recruiting trail? That's exactly what has come in. The Vols are now up to nine pledges for the 2026 class, as New Jersey safety KJ McClain has decided to shut things down and commit to UT and Josh Heupel.
The big news recently came in and it's definitely something for the fanbase to get excited about. McClain was just in Knoxville for his official visit and it's clear that the trip checked all of the boxes for him. Now, he'll be ready to don orange once he graduates high school and gets to the next level:
#Commited #GBO🍊@Vol_Football pic.twitter.com/EKyZQqGUvh
— 𝓚𝓙 𝓜𝓬𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓷♛ (@KJMcClain12) June 12, 2025
New Jersey safety KJ McClain has committed to play for Tennessee football
The trip to Tennessee was the only official visit that McClain had on his schedule. It doesn't look like Vols fans have to worry about him potentially flipping down the road. Throughout his recruitment, the new UT verbal picked up offers from Tennessee, Penn State, Michigan State, Maryland and many others.
According to the 247Sports Composite, McClain is ranked the No. 47 safety in the country and the No. 10 prospect overall from New Jersey. He's a standout defensive back for St. Joseph Regional High in Montvale, a well-known NJ football powerhouse.
McClain became the first safety pledge for Heupel's '26 haul. He's the ninth commit overall, joining quarterback Faizon Brandon, offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda, EDGE Zach Groves, WR Tyreek King, TE Carson Sneed, EDGE CJ Edwards, WR Tyran Evans and LB Braylon Outlaw.
From last weekend's OV list, McClain is the only prospect who has committed to the Vols, but that could change sooner rather than later. Plenty of eyes are on 5-star offensive lineman Darius Gray, who raved about his time on campus and made it more than clear that Tennessee is high on his list. For now, we'll have to wait and see how things go with Gray moving forward, but the good news is that McClain is already dreaming about making plays at Neyland Stadium.