Josh Heupel has been absolutely killing it over the last two weeks when it comes to recruiting. The class was not in the best shape beforehand, but ever since June arrived, the Vols have been on a red-hot tear.
Tennessee is already making a big impression on one of the best in-state 2028 recruits
Most notably, Tennessee has landed seven of its 16 commits so far in June, including some big-time names like four-star Malik Howard, one of the nation’s top tight ends from right in Tennessee’s backyard. The Vols also flipped Kenneth Simon II, a legacy linebacker, from Alabama last weekend. Perhaps the most underrated news is that Tennessee held off Georgia, which was pushing hard to flip Milton High School quarterback Derrick Baker, who has been committed to the Vols for several months.
Moving forward, Tennessee has a light visitor list this week. 247Sports reports that Tennessee has only six players on campus, with four already committed to the Vols. Despite that, it's still good to host committed prospects and keep them happy.
Official visitors making their way to Tennessee this weekend
Kenneth Simon II (LB) Four-star (Tennessee commit)
Niko Kampas (OT) Four-star
Asa Barnes (RB)Three-star
JP Peace (LB) Three-star (Tennessee commit)
Ford Fehling (K) Not rated (Tennessee commit)
Sam McKeown (LS) Not rated (Tennessee commit)
It’s a lighter weekend for Tennessee, as the Vols have just two uncommitted players on campus. JP Peace, the first member of Tennessee’s 2027 class, is in Knoxville for his official visit. The Maryville, Tennessee linebacker has big-time track speed for his size, posting an 11.18-second 100-meter dash as a sophomore.
Niko Kampas, a four-star lineman from the NFL Academy, is on campus, and he’s an intriguing prospect. He measured in at 6-foot-7, 294 pounds and moves well for an offensive tackle. He has a nice kick slide as a pass protector and can also be used as a puller in the run game. Kampas has a really strong toolkit and already holds offers from several major programs. He has also taken visits to Auburn, Michigan, and Vanderbilt. The Vols could use one more tackle in their class, so this could be a big weekend to swing things in Tennessee's favor.
One interesting name on campus is Martin, Tennessee running back Asa Barnes, who is a borderline four-star prospect per 247Sports. He is a one-cut-and-go running back with good elusiveness, allowing him to hit the hole quickly and get upfield. While he may not be the fastest back, he has the ability to break long runs and shows really good vision on film. If Tennessee can land both Barnes and David Gabriel Georges, it would be a phenomenal haul at running back.
Both special teams players committed to the Vols are on campus as well, long snapper Sam McKeown and kicker Ford Fehling. As we saw last season, special teams can be the difference between 10 wins and eight.
This won’t go down as the most headline-grabbing recruiting weekend of the summer, but it could still prove important. Tennessee has a handful of priority targets on campus, and adding one or two of them would give the class another solid boost moving forward.
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