Hasn't Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel dealt with enough stress this offseason? Obviously, Nico Iamaleava bolting on the program for UCLA continues to be talked about, but things have been far from perfect elsewhere too.
More players have entered the transfer portal, while recruiting the 2026 class has had its ups and downs too. Just this week, elite defensive line commit Tyson Bacon decided to back off his pledge to Tennessee. He has already set a visit to Ohio State for this weekend.
Is there another pledge to keep an eye on moving forward? Knoxville Catholic's Tyreek King has been committed since Oct. 31, but that hasn't stopped new teams from putting a new offer on the table. The list includes Texas, with Steve Sarkisian just offering the speedster:
Blessed to receive an offer from The University of Texas!!!🐂🟠🟠@TexasFootball @CoachSark @ciege81 @Coach_Shad_ @KCIrishFootball @PennySmith_ @Grade_aTraining @SWiltfong_ @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/ZSDeS9uLRl
— Tyreek King (@Tyreekking15) April 24, 2025
4-star Tennessee commit Tyreek King has been offered by Texas
Shortly after the Longhorns extended a tender to King, Oklahoma State did the exact same. Hey, no one can stop a team from targeting players who have given Heupel their verbal. From our chair, it would take a LOT for a local product like King to leave the area to suit up for another school.
However, following the Bacon decommitment, plenty of disappointed Vols fans are worried that perhaps Steve Sarkisian will give the youngster something to think about. With that said, Heupel and Tennessee can continue to sell King on the great things coming for the program.
In the 2026 class, quarterback Faizon Brandon, ranked the No. 1 QB in the country, is on board and ready to put on a show for the Vols once he gets to campus. King would be able to catch balls from him at Neyland Stadium for the long haul, in front of more than 100,000 screaming fans.
King is ranked four stars, the No. 11 WR in the country and No. 88 prospect nationally according to the 247Sports Composite. If Heupel hasn't done so already since Texas and Oklahoma State have offered, he needs to connect with the future Vol to remind him why he committed to Tennessee in the first place.