Recruiting Buzz: Where Tennessee Stands With Top Targets Going Into November

Tennessee currently holds commitments from 14 players in the 2022 recruiting class, with the most recent commitment coming over two months ago. Despite the lack of commitments, Tennessee is heavily involved with several prospects, which we take a look at here. 

DL Walter Nolen

Nolen has been relatively quiet on the recruiting front of late. In mid-August, he nearly shut it down and announced a decision, just a couple of weeks after releasing a new top three of Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas A&M. Nolen opted to slow things back down, and this will likely go until December. Despite the public top three and numerous other schools trying to remain involved, this is a battle between the Aggies and Vols. Tennessee has continued to impress Nolen for months, and the Vols are as likely as anyone to win out here, given the production of Rodney Garner's group this fall. The Vols continue to work multiple different pitches, which Nolen continues to listen to. He enjoyed his time in Neyland Stadium during the Ole Miss game, but he has visited Texas A&M multiple times this month. If his visit plans hold true, his official visit to Tennessee on November 13th will be his final one, which will prove pivotal for the Vols. The move to Powell certainly helped Tennessee as he has enjoyed his time in East Tennessee to this point, but there is a long way to go here. 

WR Kaleb Webb

Webb is fresh off of a Louisville visit that he thoroughly enjoyed, and while still committed to ECU, we do not believe that will stick. Multiple Power Five schools are trying to change that, including Michigan who just came in with an offer. The Wolverines will host him on an official next weekend, which will go a long way in determining if they are a major player in his recruitment, in our opinion. Tennessee made their mark following back-to-back visits for the South Carolina and Ole Miss games. His family loved the visits, and he likes what he has seen from Tennessee's offense and how they could use him. Webb does not appear to be in a huge hurry to make a move, but we continue to monitor this recruitment closely. 

DB Christian Harrison

The son of NFL great Rodney Harrison backed off his pledge from Liberty after getting a flurry of Division 1 offers over the last few weeks. Tennessee hosted him for the South Carolina game, then offered a few days later, which led him to return for the night game against Ole Miss. It feels like the Vols have all of the momentum in this one, but he is scheduled to visit Auburn this weekend, while an offer from Florida on Thursday afternoon could shake things up. Tennessee was in attendance to watch Harrison play last week. 

Edge Joshua Josephs 

Tennessee has long been a factor for the standout pass rusher from North Cobb (Ga.), and he enjoyed his official visit to Rocky Top a couple of weekends ago. Michigan remains the primary competition here, but we will see if anyone else can make this more than a two-team race. The Vols will push the proximity to home and early on-field opportunities to try and win out here, so Josephs's next visits will be important. 

Edge James Pearce

Tennessee also likes Charlotte (N.C.) edge rusher James Pearce, and he could be one to keep an eye on if things don't trend upward with Josephs following this weekend. Mike Ekeler was out to see Pearce when coaches were allowed to go in person, and the Vols have already hosted him once this fall. Pearce's length and explosiveness off the edge make him a desirable prospect, and he has a handful of SEC offers, including Ole Miss and Georgia, and both of those schools could become a factor down the stretch. Tennessee should have another opportunity to get back him back on campus before he makes a decision. 

ATH Jeremiah Caldwell

The standout from Michigan de-committed from Kentucky earlier in the year, and he has liked what Tennessee has continued to show him. The Michigan native continues to hear from local schools, especially Michigan State, and Mel Tucker is putting the press on for him to be an immediate impact player. Tennessee is utilizing a solid relationship with Willie Martinez and Tim Banks to maintain momentum here. Caldwell could be closing in on a decision soon, in our opinion. 

DB Jourdan Thomas

Tennessee has remained a factor for the Mississippi State commitment from Montgomery Catholic (Ala.), who they believe can play a handful of positions on the back end. He went through a private workout in June with the Tennessee staff, which allowed them the opportunity to build more of a bond, but he has remained firm in his Hail State pledge. Tennessee made another strong impression on Thomas during his visit on October 9th, and he will likely be back for an official visit later this year. Other SEC are showing interest in Thomas as well, which could lead to this recruitment waging on. He is fresh off a visit to Auburn for their win over Ole Miss. 

DB Andre Stewart

Stewart, another North Cobb (Ga.) standout, is among the priorities remaining on the board for Tennessee. He has been committed to Kentucky for six months, but he has actively listened to Tennessee and others. The Vols got him to campus a couple of times over the summer, and they will hope to get him on an official visit sooner than later, but he recently reiterated how locked in he was with Kentucky, so this will not be an easy task. 

DB Kody Jones

Jones is one of the top prospects in the state of Tennessee, and he is also one of the more quiet prospects when it comes to the recruiting scene. Despite his commitment to Michigan, Tennessee has remained a factor for Jones dating back to the early spring. Jerry Mack has done an excellent job of utilizing his ties in the Memphis area, and Jones could give the Vols an official visit later in the year. Getting him to campus will be pivotal in making a serious run down the stretch. 

JuCo Prospects

Tennessee has its eyes set on the trio of Marquise Gilbert (Hutchinson C.C.) , Keionte Scott (Snow College), and Zahquan Frasier (Coffeyville C.C.). The Vols are in a good spot with each of these guys, who will likely start taking visits at the conclusion of their season. Frasier plans to take all of his trips, make a decision, and enroll early. All of these guys are worth monitoring, as Tennessee and multiple other schools are looking to add immediate help from these lengthy prospects. Tennessee is monitoring a couple of other JuCo DB's that they have yet to offer at this stage, but they could in the coming weeks. The Vols are currently checking in on a bevy of junior college prospects, in addition to these three, as they continue to make evaluations. The Vols have offered two defensive linemen in the last week from Independence C.C. in Jeffrey M'Ba and Amipeleasi Fifita, and Rodney Garner was there yesterday to see the. 

RB Dallan Hayden

Hayden quietly slipped into town for the Ole Miss game with family, but there is no reason to believe that he is wavering in his Ohio State commitment yet. We do know that Tennessee is exploring options to potentially add another running back to this class, but they need to get Hayden back for an official visit if they want to gain any real traction. We will see if that can happen, but he was and is Ohio State's top priority at the position, and he understands the importance of that. The Vols will have to unfold a strong plan for him if they want to pull off a late flip on the talented legacy prospect. He was back in Columbus this weekend.  

LB DeMario Tolan 

Tolan was recruited heavily by Tennessee over the summer, but he would eventually commit to LSU over Tennessee and Clemson. Following the Ed Orgeron news, the line of communication is active between the two, and Tennessee saw Tolan in action on Thursday night. Tolan was complimentary following his visits in June, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that he will make it to Knoxville next month, which is something to monitor. Other schools closer to home are likely to make this a tough task for the Vols to pull the Sunshine State star, if he decides to back off of his pledge to the Bayou Bengals. 

Edge Caleb Herring

The brother of 2022 commitment Elijah Herring has been recruited hard by Josh Heupel's staff to this point. He wants to take some visits to see other schools, and he got a look at Alabama this weekend, with the possibility of other trips on the horizon. Tennessee has hosted him multiple times since June, and he likes the family feel. We continue to monitor him, as he is very quiet and could choose to commit out of nowhere and shock people.