Tennessee football is already going hard after some elite 2027 recruits. Josh Heupel just signed a top-10 class in 2026, and he's not satisfied. He wants all the blue-chips. The news never stops, as Tennessee is awaiting a decision from a 4-star safety who is expected to decide soon.
No matter how you look at it, even with 2026 just ending, it's never too late to get ahead on the 2027 class, and there is more recruiting news on the way when it comes to the 2027 class.
2027 4-star edge rusher Antwoine Higgins has trimmed his list down to six schools, and Tennessee made the cut. Landing a pledge from Higgins won't be easy, as the blue-chip prospect has Alabama, Indiana, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Syracuse in his top six.
NEWS: Four-Star EDGE Antwoine Higgins is down to 6 Schools, he tells me for @rivals⁰⁰The 6’3 225 EDGE from Cincinnati, OH is ranked as the Top EDGE in the Buckeye State⁰⁰Where Should He Go?https://t.co/SZ4DBNAYHU pic.twitter.com/GHVHBhvvj1
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 15, 2025
Tennessee football makes top 6 for EDGE Antwoine Higgins
This is significant news as Higgins has been a plan-A target for Tennessee for a while now. Higgins took two gameday visits to Tennessee this fall: one against Georgia and one against Oklahoma.
Higgins is one of the top edge players in the nation for a reason. The Under Armor All-American is a physical player who can rush the passer and also get nasty in the run game. Higgins even shows off his ability to drop into coverage and lock down receivers. He would be a jack of all trades in Jim Knowles' new defense at Tennessee.
The 2027 star had a phenomenal junior season. Higgins had 67 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, four passes defended, three sacks, and two interceptions. Like I said, a jack of all trades.
Josh Heupel must be fired up at this latest development,. The next step is getting Higgins on campus to meet Knowles and learn how he can be an asset in this new defense.
The Vols already have four 2027 commits, two of them are on the defensive side of the ball, so if Higgins can join the fold soon, the Vols can be very selective with how they fill out the rest of the defensive side of the 2027 class.
Their is no indication when Higgins is going to decide, but he doesn't seem to far away. If Tennessee is able to land him it could be another special signing day next December.