Tennessee Vols named a 'dark horse' in battle for 2025 5-star recruit
The Tennessee Vols were named this week by On3 as a "dark horse" contender for an elite 2025 five-star recruit. On3 noted that Florida State, Stanford, and Georgia Tech are the teams to beat for five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty. Tennessee and Ohio State were both called the "dark horses" in the battle for the […]
The Tennessee Vols were named this week by On3 as a "dark horse" contender for an elite 2025 five-star recruit.
On3 noted that Florida State, Stanford, and Georgia Tech are the teams to beat for five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty.
Tennessee and Ohio State were both called the "dark horses" in the battle for the talented offensive lineman.
"Florida State is the program leading on the On3 RPM for Josh Petty, but Georgia Tech and Stanford are considered major contenders with Ohio State and Tennessee the dark-horses," wrote On3's Keegan Pope.
Petty, 6-foot-5/262 lbs from Roswell, GA, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 4 player in the state of Georgia. He's also rated as the No. 14 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
One thing working in the Vols' favor in this recruiting battle is the fact that Petty grew up rooting for Tennessee.
“My dad is a big Tennessee fan,” said Petty to GoVols247 last August. “I grew up a Tennessee fan. He just happens to be a fan. He just said the environment there was special."
"I mean, I can’t give you an exact number (of years I have liked Tennessee)," added Petty. "But I saw not too long ago, my dad sent me a picture of me wearing a Peyton Manning jersey when I was in, like, sixth grade.”
Florida State, however, has an even bigger factor working in their favor — Petty's sister will be attending FSU this fall.
Petty is set to announce his commitment on August 12.
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