Tennessee Football Emerges as ‘Clear Favorite’ to Land Star Receiver
The Tennessee Volunteers have already received two verbal commitments from wide receivers in the 2026 recruiting class. The Volunteers, though, are quickly becoming the favorites to get a commitment from an even more highly-touted wideout.
On3’s Chad Simmons reported Wednesday that after receiver Joel Wyatt visited Tennessee during the final weekend of March, the Volunteers have become the “clear favorite” to land four-star prospect.
“Tennessee had Joel Wyatt, an in-state target, on campus again last weekend and the buzz coming off this visit is strong for the Vols,” Simmons wrote. “He is a Top-50 prospect with length, speed and athleticism that the staff in Knoxville covet. He has developed some strong relationships with Josh Heupel, Kelsey Pope and the staff at Tennessee.
“There is no real timeline for Wyatt to make his decision, but the Vols are the clear favorite that someone has to knock off.”
Simmons called the North Carolina Tar Heels the biggest competition for Volunteers in Wyatt’s recruitment.
“North Carolina had him on campus this week and the Tar Heels look to be the biggest competition at this stage,” wrote Simmons.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Wyatt is the No. 5 ranked wide receiver and second-best Tennessee prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. As Simmons indicated, Wyatt is also a top 50 overall recruit (No. 45 overall in the composite rankings).
In the 2026 recruiting class, the Volunteers have already received verbal commitments from three-star wideouts Tyreek King and Tyran Evans.
Tennessee also has a verbal commitment from No. 2-ranked quarterback Faizon Brandon. His commitment is likely helping the Volunteers recruit receivers in the class.
