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Tennessee signing day updates: Recruiting rankings, best players in 2026 class
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- Tennessee signing day updates: Recruiting rankings, best players in 2026 class
Tennessee football has landed the highest ranked recruiting class of Josh Heupel's tenure, featuring five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon and five-star receiver Tristen Keys .
The early signing period began Dec. 3. The Vols have 28 players committed in the 2026 class.
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Here are Tennessee's signees, their 247Sports Composite rank and the latest recruiting news:
HOW TENNESSEE RECRUITS GET NIL From negotiations to payments for 2026 signees
Tennessee football signees in 2026 class
Dereon Albert, DL
High school/Hometown: Jackson Academy/Jackson, Mississippi
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 305 pounds
Rank: 4 stars, No. 382 in nation, No. 41 at position
Zay Anderson, CB
High school/Hometown: Greeneville/Greeneville, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 165
Rank: 4 stars, No. 240 in nation, No. 11 at position
Edward Baker, OL
High school/Hometown: St. Francis Academy/Baltimore
Height/Weight: 6-4, 335
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Rank: 3 stars, No. 961 in nation, No. 76 at position
Legend Bey, WR
High school/Hometown: North Forney/Heartland, Texas
Height/Weight: 5-10, 185
Rank: 4 stars, No. 175 in nation, No. 9 at position
Kamari Blair, OT
High school/Hometown: Kirkwood/Clarksville, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-6, 281
Rank: 4 stars, No. 152 in nation, No. 15 at position
Faizon Brandon, QB
High school/Hometown: Grimsley/Greensboro, North Carolina
Height/Weight: 6-4, 200 pounds
Rank: 5 stars, No. 7 in nation, No. 3 at position
Jordan Carter, EDGE
High school/Hometown: Douglas County/Douglasville, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-3, 245
Rank: 4 stars, No. 203 in nation, No. 23 at position
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Jowell Combay, S
High school/Hometown: Kell/Marietta, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-1, 192
Rank: 3 stars, No. 629 in nation, No. 49 at position
CJ Edwards, EDGE
High school/Hometown: St. Joseph/Metuchen, New Jersey
Height/Weight: 6-3, 215
Rank: 3 stars, No. 676 in nation, No. 68 at position
JJ Finch, DL
High school/Hometown: Warren Central/Indianapolis, Indiana
Height/Weight: 6-2, 292
Rank: 3 stars, No. 573 in nation, No. 64 at position
Logan Foley, P
High school/Hometown: ProKick Australia/Melbourne, Australia
Height/Weight: 6-6, 230
Rank: Not rated
Kedric Golston II, DL
High school/Hometown: Stone Bridge/Ashburn, Virginia
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Height/Weight: 6-2, 235
Rank: 4 stars, No. 448 in nation, No. 43 at position
Carter Gooden, DL
High school/Hometown: Tabor Academy/Marion, Massachusetts
Height/Weight: 6-4, 260
Rank: 4 stars, No. 147 in nation, No. 17 at position
Zach Groves, EDGE
High school/Hometown: East Robertson/Cross Plains, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-4, 255
Rank: 4 stars, No. 279 in nation, No. 27 at position
Hezekiah Harris, EDGE
High school/Hometown: Jemison/Jemison, Alabama
Height/Weight: 6-6, 235
Rank: 4 stars, No. 165 in nation, No. 21 at position
Tristen Keys, WR
High school/Hometown: Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Height/Weight: 6-3, 180
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Rank: 5 stars, No. 11 in nation, No. 2 at position
Tyreek King, WR
High school/Hometown: Knoxville Catholic/Knoxville, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 5-11, 168
Rank: 4 stars, No. 108 in nation, No. 15 at position
KJ McClain, S
High school/Hometown: St. Joseph Regional/Montvale, New Jersey
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 165
Rank: 3 stars, No. 676 in nation, No. 50 at position
Gabriel Osenda, OT
High school/Hometown: Baylor School/Chattanooga, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-7, 330
Rank: 4 stars, No. 90 in nation, No. 11 at position
Darryl Rivers, DL
High school/Hometown: McEachern/Powder Springs, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-5, 270
Rank: 4 stars, No. 514 in nation, No. 58 at position
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Brayden Rouse, LB
High school/Hometown: Kell/Marietta, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-3, 210
Rank: 4 stars, No. 86 in nation, No. 7 at position
NicQuayvion "Nuk" Simmons, DL
High school/Hometown: Carver High/Columbus, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-3, 305
Rank: 3 stars, No. 2,280 in nation, No. 221 at position
Javonte Smith, CB
High school/Hometown: Jackson North Side/Jackson, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 170
Rank: 3 stars, No. 601 in nation, No. 46 at position
Jamyan Theodore, CB
High school/Hometown: Baylor School/Chattanooga, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 171
Rank: 3 stars, No. 896 in nation, No. 71 at position
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Luke Thompson, S
High school/Hometown: Franklin/Franklin, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-1, 176
Rank: 3 stars, No. 629 in nation, No. 38 at position
TJ White, LB
High school/Hometown:Jackson Academy/Jackson, Mississippi
Height/Weight: 6-2, 230
Rank: 4 stars, No. 55 in nation, No. 4 at position
Luca Wolf, TE
High school/Hometown: NFL Academy/London, England
Height/Weight: 6-5, 246
Rank: 3 stars, No. 1,370 in nation, No. 81 at position
Joel Wyatt, DB
High school/Hometown: Oakland/Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Height/Weight: 6-4, 195
Rank: 4 stars, No. 65 in nation, No. 4 at position
Tennessee football recruiting targets
Tennessee may add a defensive lineman to its class, and there are a few possibilities.
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Four-star edge rusher Jordan Carter decommitted from Texas A&M. He's considering Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia Tech . The 6-3, 245-pounder is from Douglasville, Georgia. Carter is ranked the No. 23 edge rusher and No. 203 player overall in the 247Sports Composite.
Four-star defensive lineman Carter Gooden is committed to UCLA, which has undergone a coaching search. Gooden is keeping his options open, visiting Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the past two weekends. UCLA is hiring James Madison coach Bob Chesney , so Gooden must decide whether to keep him commitment to the Bruins.
Gooden is a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder from Marion, Massachusetts. He is ranked the No. 17 edge rusher and No. 147 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. He likely would play strongside defensive end for the Vols if they land him.
Three-star junior college transfer Jaylen Thomas is also considering Tennessee, along with Arkansas , Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Kansas and Baylor among others. Thomas is a 6-3, 310-pound defensive tackle from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
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Thomas, a Memphis native, is ranked the No. 13 junior college transfer in the 2026 class.
Tennessee football recruiting rankings
Entering the early signing period, Tennessee's 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 8 nationally in the 247Sports Composite and fourth in the SEC. It trailed only Georgia, Alabama and Texas in the conference rankings.
If the Vols can hold these commitments, Heupel could have his highest ranked signing class as a head coach.
At Tennessee, his classes ranked No. 17 in 2022, No. 10 in 2023, No. 14 in 2024 and No. 11 in 2025 in 247Sports Composite. At UCF, his classes were ranked No. 62 in 2018, No. 60 in 2019, No. 75 in 2020 and No. 58 in 2021 before taking the Vols coaching job.
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When is early signing day? Transfer portal and late signing day?
High school players who wish to sign during the early period must do so Dec. 3-5.
The late signing period for high school players begins Feb. 5.
Teams will wrap up the biggest portion of their signing class this week before adding players from the transfer portal, which opens Jan. 2.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football signing day live updates: Latest recruiting news
