The Tennessee football staff has been working overtime with their recruiting efforts ever since the 2024 campaign came to a close for them. Josh Heupel was not happy after the loss to Ohio State at The Shoe, but he quickly shifted gears.
Plenty of top Tennessee targets have made their way to campus of late, with the Star Thomas commitment standing out. However, could another standout playmaker end up shutting down his recruitment earlier than expected?
Last week, 4-star linebacker Brayden Rouse was in Knoxville for an unofficial visit. He had an incredible time at the Vols' junior day. So much in fact, recruiting guru Steve Wiltfong of On3 has decided to put in his official prediction for Tennessee and Heupel to land him:
On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Tennessee to land 2026 4-star LB Brayden Rouse🍊
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 22, 2025
Intel: https://t.co/TvcJ3X69hd pic.twitter.com/uQiYlD1cEu
Will Tennessee end up signing 4-star LB Brayden Rouse
According to the 247Sports Composite, Rouse is the No. 17 linebacker in the country and No. 195 player nationally. However, 247Sports on its own has the 6-3, 205-pounder ranked the No. 4 linebacker in the country and No. 67 player overall.
Rouse is closing in on 30 offers, which shows everyone how touted of a recruit he is. In addition to Tennessee, the playmaker has picked up scholarships from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Michigan and many others.
With Rouse being a Marietta, Ga., product, you'd think that Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs would be the frontrunners here, but that doesn't appear to be the case. There's no set timeline for when Rouse will shut down his recruitment and make his decision.
Despite that, the Vols and Heupel have put themselves in a fantastic position to win this big-time recruiting battle. Rouse could end up waiting until after he takes some official visits to make a commitment, but he's definitely going to be on 'verbal watch' moving forward for Tennessee.