One of the biggest recruiting wins for the Tennessee football team arrived on Friday, and it was the update of Josh Heupel keeping one of his best young talents on the roster. That's right, 5-star freshman wideout Mike Matthews isn't going anywhere.
However, Heupel isn't done making a splash at wideout, as the Vols are no question a team to watch when it comes to Zachariah Branch, the No. 2 wide receiver in the transfer portal. Branch just took a visit to Miami and the assumption is he'll make a decision soon. However, keep in mind that it's not just him teams are recruiting, as his brother Zion Branch is also looking for a new home. It sure feels like this is a package deal too:
Zachariah Branch and Zion Branch are actively looking for their new homes
Zion was a 4-star safety coming out of high school, eventually putting the pen to paper with the Trojans. Him being on campus in Los Angeles played a massive role in Lincoln Riley winning the huge recruiting battle to sign Zachariah.
Now, the two brothers are taking visits together and Tennessee knows they need to put in work to impress both of them. The Vols are still in the process of setting up official visits, but the expectation is that they'll make something happen before the Branch brothers make their final decision.
Wide receiver is certainly more of a need right now over safety for the Vols, but Heupel sure wouldn't mind adding some extra help for his defense and Tim Banks as well. There's some stiff competition for the Vols to end up signing Zachariah and Zion, but the work is being put in to give these two something to think about. In addition to Miami, other schools to keep an eye on include Georgia, Arizona State and others.