This is what we're talking about! For a while now, the hope has been that in-state, 4-star athlete Joel Wyatt would eventually end up committing to the Tennessee football team. However, several teams were working overtime to make sure that didn't happen.
Those schools wasted their time, as the big news has come in. That's right, on Monday, Wyatt announced his decision and he'll be Knoxville-bound to play his college ball. North Carolina and Bill Belichick came charging late, but Josh Heupel and Co. were able to come out on top of this huge recruiting battle.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 ATH Joel Wyatt has Committed to Tennessee, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 28, 2025
The 6’4 190 ATH from Shelbyville, TN chose the Vols over Vanderbilt, Louisville, LSU, & others
He’s ranked as one of the Top ATHs in the ‘26 Class 🍊https://t.co/BacCfPX3xX pic.twitter.com/igyIvsewSC
4-star ATH Joey Wyatt has committed to Tennessee over UNC, Vanderbilt and others
Not long ago, Wyatt revealed that he was down to Tennessee and Vanderbilt, but North Carolina indeed did everything it could to convince him that Chapel Hill was the right place for him down the road. Thankfully, those efforts fell short and Wyatt will be suiting up for Heupel in 2026.
Throughout his recruitment, the 6-4, 200-pounder picked up offers from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Miami and many others. According to the 247Sports Composite, Wyatt is ranked four stars, the No. 5 athlete in the country, No. 2 player from Tennessee and No. 48 prospect nationally for the 2026 class.
Originally, Wyatt was going to announce his decision on July 7, but he needed more time to make his final call. Now, three weeks later, he realized that there's no place like home and suiting up for Tennessee was the right decision for him. So, where will he line up once he does make the move to campus?
Things are a bit unknown there, as Tennessee has been recruiting him as a pass-rusher, with the ability to play like James Pearce Jr. However, the door is also open for him to potentially play safety. Things will get figured out once he starts practicing and meeting with DC Tim Banks. Regardless of that, he'll sign with Tennessee in December and this is a get Heupel and his staff can be pretty fired up about.