The 2027 class is starting to take shape, as prospects all across the nation are beginning to trim down their lists and figure out where they will take their spring and summer visits. The Vols have had their share of success making the top lists, but ideally, they would add a few more commitments soon.
Tennessee has been hard at work with some of the top players in 2027. Josh Heupel has been aggressively pushing 5-star tailback David Gabriel Georges and has made visits to many of the best Tennessee high school football prospects. Heupel is looking to replicate the success the Vols had with the class of 2026, signing multiple five-stars and a plethora of four-stars. Repeating the success that Tennessee had in 2026 wasn't easy, but it's more than possible, and it all starts with building quality relationships.
A strong relationship between Josh Heupel, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, and four-star Lansdale Catholic (Lansdale, PA) offensive lineman Terrance Smith has paid off, as the Vols made his trimmed-down list, according to Rivals. Tennessee is battling Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Ohio State, and Rutgers for the 6-foot-6, 250-pound interior offensive lineman.
🚨NEWS🚨 4-star IOL Terrance Smith is down to 7⃣ schools, @ChadSimmons_ reports‼️
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 1, 2026
Read: https://t.co/DtYvG6RB5M pic.twitter.com/s0Jj6AlLx6
Tennessee makes the cut for Terrance Smith
My personal favorite position to recruit is anywhere on the offensive line, as the game is won and lost in the trenches, so it's refreshing to see Heupel making it a priority in the class of 2027. As we've seen, landing portal offensive linemen is a difficult task, because there isn't much quality, so it makes landing high schoolers that much more important. The Vols took four offensive linemen in 2026, including 5-star Gabriel Osenda, so they will likely take around four or five again this class.
Landing Smith will be no small task though. Pretty much every elite program in the nation is after the talented lineman. Tennessee does have four-star offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo committed already, so if they could get Smith in the mix, it would be an elite start when it comes to building the offensive line for 2027.
The Vols still have a long way to go, but they have put themselves in a strong early spot.