The impact of financial opportunities for today’s college football players, whether through revenue sharing or through name, image and likeness deals, has never been more profound on the recruiting front.
Need proof?
As of Saturday afternoon, Georgia had the No. 15 class of commitments for this 2027 signing cycle in the 247Sports.com rankings, while Tennessee had the No. 29 class and Alabama was at No. 72. In the 2026 cycle, Alabama finished with the No. 2 signing class, while Georgia ended at No. 6 and Tennessee at No. 8.
“I think Tennessee and other schools are learning this year that you get to a point where you have to walk away,” 247Sports.com analyst Ryan Callahan said. “Tennessee has been in with some big-time recruits and hosted guys from IMG Academy in Florida and in some other states that are not as close to Tennessee. There have been guys from Maryland, and there were a couple of highly ranked players from New Jersey visiting this past weekend. They have been willing to branch out geographically, but you can’t be willing to pay whatever price is necessary for every player.
“You’ve got to draw a line, and that’s even come into play with some in-state cases that they’ve missed out on. Part of that is just managing your money and learning kind of a different skill set from what coaches have had to do in the past. You’re almost juggling a salary cap to a degree, and you have to be willing to walk away when the price is above what you think a player is worth.”
Texas A&M currently has the nation’s No. 1 class after finishing with the No. 10 crop in the 2026 cycle, while fellow Southeastern Conference programs Florida (No. 4) and Auburn (No. 9) are in the top 10 after ending up outside the top 15 in the last go-around.
This weekend and the past two have been busy on the recruiting landscape from an official visits standpoint, but the calendar on Monday will shift from a busy stretch to a dead period that runs until July 31. In an NCAA dead period, no in-person contact or evaluations are permitted.
There is obviously time for Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee to bolt up the rankings between now and the early signing window in early December, but 84 of the nation’s top 100 prospects, according to 247Sports, have already committed.
IN-STATE STRENGTH
The Volunteers currently have 16 commitments, including eight from within the state, which matches their in-state total from their 24-member class this past year. Tennessee’s top four commitments are Brentwood Academy receiver Kesean Bowman and linebacker Kenneth Simon II, Oak Ridge tight end Malik Howard and Murfreesboro Siegel offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo.
“I think these classes will be a year-to-year thing,” Callahan said. “You’ve seen Tennessee go out to California in recent classes for (quarterback) Nico (Iamaleava) and for other players. Tennessee has gone to Texas and all kinds of places to land top targets, and I think they will continue to be willing to do that, but you’ve got the transfer portal that everyone is still adjusting to. Tennessee just signed the highest number of transfers that they’ve signed in the Josh Heupel era, and part of that is not overextending yourself in high school recruiting and leaving yourself to where you can’t be aggressive in the portal.
“I’m not saying they’re going to pivot and go more in on the portal, but you have to be heavily involved there in order to address the needs that you may have. Indiana and Ole Miss have had success building through the portal to large degrees. On top of that, it’s a very good year in the state. This is a year where Tennessee needs to get as many of its top state players as possible.”
Tennessee is in the mix for four-star safeties Marcus Jones of Pennsylvania and Kenaz Sullivan of Virginia, three-star cornerback Brandon Allen Jr. of Atlanta, and three-star running back Asa Barnes of Martin Westview, the same Tennessee high school program that produced former Alabama and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson.
Yet the top remaining prize by far for the Vols is five-star running back David Gabriel Georges of Baylor School, who is the No. 10 player nationally. “DGG” has set July 22 as the date to announce his nonbinding commitment, and he will pick among Tennessee, Ohio State and Ole Miss, with the Vols and Buckeyes widely viewed as his favorites.
COUNTDOWN TO DGG
Callahan has covered recruiting for more than 15 years and said it’s hard to compare the hype leading up to DGG’s decision reveal compared to others who picked Tennessee, such as Iamaleava and current Vols left tackle David Sanders Jr., or those who decided to go elsewhere, like running back Cam Akers and defensive tackle Walter Nolen.
“It’s different in this day and age, because everybody knows that money is such a consideration for so money players,” Callahan said. “I don’t know if that takes away some of the excitement, but I think it does take away some of the drama. There was a veil of mystery that now just isn’t there quite as much, because in the past it seemed like it was truly about where the player wanted to be.
“Now it feels less like that, but DGG is the absolute top target that everyone on message boards and Twitter want to know about. He is the guy everyone wants Tennessee to land in this class. There have been some good running backs in this state like Ty Chandler and Eric Gray, but none quite at this level. DGG may not be generational, but he’s the best we’ve seen in a few years.”
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Gabriel Georges would be the only five-star commitment in Tennessee’s class for this cycle should he select the Vols, and Callahan said this class probably wouldn’t match the 24 signees from last December. The Vols have assembled four consecutive top-15 classes under Heupel, but that streak is in jeopardy.
Not that recruiting rankings seem to be packing the same traditional punch due to the transfer portal.
“This isn’t old-school recruiting anymore,” Callahan said. “There is a lot more to it now, and it’s a lot more transactional. I know fans don’t always love that, but that’s just the reality. The bottom half of classes might look different now, because you’ve got to be willing to walk away when a second-tier program is willing to spend more than you are.
“Tennessee is going to have to let those players go sometimes.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.