Tennessee is a legitimate contender for 5-star recruit who grew up rooting for the Vols
The Tennessee Vols are a "legitimate contender" for an elite five-star recruit who is rated as one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class. 2025 five-star offensive lineman Josh 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 […]
The Tennessee Vols are a "legitimate contender" for an elite five-star recruit who is rated as one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class.
2025 five-star offensive lineman Josh 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.
247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy noted recently that Tennessee is a legitimate contender for the elite offensive lineman in part because Petty grew up rooting for the Volunteers.
According to Loy, Clemson is Tennessee's biggest competition for Petty.
From 247Sports: "He's got a big, big march ahead and a lot of visits. He's got Clemson, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn and Florida State on the schedule. He's got some ties with Georgia Tech. They're a dark horse. I'm also watching Clemson and Tennessee. Tennessee is a very legitimate contender. He grew up a Volunteers fan."
Petty visited Tennessee three times last season (twice in the spring and then for the Vols' game against Georgia last November), so he's very familiar with the campus and the coaching staff.
In the past, Tennessee has lost several recruits who grew up rooting for the Vols to Clemson (Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers, and Travis Etienne). Those recruiting losses, however, happened under previous coaching staffs at Tennessee.
Josh Heupel and his staff have a chance to end Clemson's odd streak of signing recruits who grew up cheering for Tennessee. More importantly, Heupel and his staff have a chance to add a potential future NFL offensive lineman to the roster. That's the biggest reason why the Vols badly want to bring Petty to Rocky Top.
