When it comes to recruiting, it's important to remember that nothing is set in stone until a prospect makes it official during the Early Signing Period in December or regular National Signing Day in February. This is something Tennessee football is keeping in mind with defensive lineman JJ Finch.
As things stand, Finch is Alabama-bound, as he committed to Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide in June. However, Josh Heupel and the Tennessee coaches aren't ready to give up on him just yet. According to Rivals' Greg Smith, the Vols are one of several programs who are keeping in touch with Finch to see if a flip this fall might be possible:
SEC and ACC schools pushing to flip Alabama commit JJ Finch, via @GregSmithRivals 👀
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 12, 2025
Intel: https://t.co/nLyN1zVPzr pic.twitter.com/feJeHRWegh
Tennessee football remains in contact with Alabama DL commit JJ Finch
LSU and Miami are also showing interest of late, but Finch has given Alabama fans no reason to believe he's on 'flip watch' or anything. With that said, you never know what might end up going down and Tennessee isn't going to just cross him off their wishlist.
Finch took an official visit to Knoxville in June, but he also took trips to Alabama, Michigan, Purdue and Miami. In the end, his late May trip to Tuscaloosa set the standard and other programs, of course including UT, were bummed when he announced he was going to play for the Tide at the next level.
According to the 247Sports Composite, the 6-3, 260-pound Indianapolis product is ranked three stars, the No. 64 defensive lineman in the country, No. 4 prospect out of Indiana and No. 531 prospect nationally for the 2026 class.
All signs point to him being locked in with Alabama, but if the Vols want him bad enough, there might be something that changes his mind down the road. Tennessee will of course focus on other DL targets they have high on their board, but thanks to this latest update, it looks like fans can't forget about Finch moving forward either.