The Tennessee Vols current coach beat out their former one on Friday afternoon for the services of a talented player from the state of Alabama.
Pike Road, Alabama (Pike Road) linebacker Braylon Outlaw pulled the trigger and chose the Vols, per Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.
Outlaw doesn’t have the highest accolades as far as rankings (#40 linebacker and #17 player in state of Alabama in On3 industry rankings), but he’s gotten offers from a lot of major programs, which speaks as much to what coaches see in players’ abilities as anything. Outlaw holds offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oregon, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Arkansas, West Virginia, Maryland, and Duke.
Ultimately, it looks as though it came down to Tennessee and Ole Miss, and Heupel and his staff were able to secure the pledge. He becomes the sixth commitment in Heupel’s 2026 class, the first linebacker, and the second defender after Warren, Michigan (Hoover) DL Tyson Bacon, who committed two days after the Vols’ 24-17 win over Alabama.