Tennessee received its third football commitment from a top-100 prospect for the 2025 signing cycle Saturday, receiving a nonbinding pledge from safety Lagonza Hayward of Lyons, Georgia.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Hayward is the nation’s No. 11 safety and the No. 95 overall recruit on the 247Sports.com composite rankings. The only commitments with higher rankings in Tennessee’s 19-member class are Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre (No. 43) and Las Vegas interior offensive lineman Douglas Utu (No. 70).
Although Hayward’s decision became official Saturday, he told 247Sports that he committed to Volunteers coach Josh Heupel in the spring.
“They’ve been in the whole recruiting process with me the longest,” Hayward told the site. “They were like the first big SEC offer, because it was Vandy and then them. They were like my second SEC offer and like my sixth D-I offer.
“I’ve built a relationship with them since my junior year started, so you kind of start to grow a bond.”
Lyons has a population of slightly more than 4,000 but has served as the home for former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and NFL Hall of Famer Mel Blount, former Clemson and NFL defensive end Nick Eason and former Georgia Tech and NFL safety Travares Tillman.
Hayward took recent visits to Georgia (May 31), South Carolina (June 7), Florida (June 14) and Tennessee (June 21) before announcing the Vols as his choice. He is the third Peach State prospect to commit to Tennessee in as many weekends, joining Atlanta Westlake receiver Travis Smith Jr. on July 13 and Covington linebacker Christian Gass last Saturday.
Tennessee’s class of commitments ranked eighth following Hayward’s pledge behind Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas A&M. Oklahoma and Miami are right behind the Vols to round out the top-10 teams.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.