Elite 2026 DL Preston Carey Discusses Early Interest In Tennessee

2026 defensive lineman Preston Carey caught up with Volunteer Country to update his interest in the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has quickly established a precedent in his short time with the Vols. They are going to recruit, and they are going to do it well. Much of their focus goes into building relationships with underclassmen, and they've begun to build a good foundation with 2026 defensive lineman Preston Carey (East Northport, N.Y.), a talented sophomore that should quickly become a national recruit.

Carey holds 25 Power-5 offers after his freshman season. He's visited Florida State, Georgia, and Auburn this offseason, but a recent trip to Rocky Top has Carey quite interested in the Vols. "I definitely wanted to get down to Tennessee. Obviously, their production on the football field and what they've done on the national side is appealing. Coach Heupel is amazing. I'm a 2026, so there are contact rules, but whenever we speak, it's great. Ultimately, I was coming down to Atlanta for the Future Five-Star Camp, and I wanted to plan a week to visit some of these SEC schools. I wanted to meet Coach Heupel and Coach [Rodney] Garner because they cared about me and wanted me to get down to Rocky Top as soon as possible."

Defensive line coach Rodney Garner is one of the top assistants in America and has a plethora of NFL alumni. He recruits the best of the best and only the best of the best, which Carey noted when discussing what it meant to have Garner this involved. "It means a lot. He was with me right away when I got on campus. He showed me why he gets those recruits - the conversations we had about football and about life were amazing. We'll see what happens in the next three years, but I have nothing but good things to say about Tennessee."

2026 DL Preston Carey with Tennessee HC Josh Heupel

Visiting collegiate programs is fun for most recruits, but they notice when the coaching staffs go above and beyond to make themselves different. Carey saw that Tennessee placed a premium on hospitality and ensuring he felt comfortable. "They care. If I needed anything on that visit, they were willing to hand-wave and get it down. The hospitality was great, and I'm looking forward to returning to Tennessee. Coach Heupel came to see me right away when I got on campus, and it was just amazing to be around great coaches and learn something in the time I was with them."

Carey understands that he's an underclassman and many major programs may not begin seriously pushing their chips in until his junior season, but he appreciates that Tennessee constantly reminds him that they want him to play his college football in orange. "They always let me know what a priority I am. It's great to keep in contact because I'm all the way up in New York, and they're in Tennessee. They definitely recruit heavily and let me know that they want me." He also recognizes that Tennessee is a program that does the right things. "It's just real football. It shows in the results. It shows in the coaches and players that have gone to Tennessee. They recruit very well; they just got great players like Nico [Iamaleava]. How much they recruit is important to me. I want to see how much they care, and everything they've said has connected with me." 

Carey confirmed that he hopes to get out to Knoxville for a game day sometime this season.

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