Recruiting analyst doesn't expect the Tennessee Vols to land 2026 5-star recruiting target
The Tennessee Vols are one of five programs still in the mix for 2026 five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray. Gray, 6-foot-3/285 lbs from Richmond, VA, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia. He's also rated as the No. […]
The Tennessee Vols are one of five programs still in the mix for 2026 five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray.
Gray, 6-foot-3/285 lbs from Richmond, VA, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia. He's also rated as the No. 16 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
The Virginia native has a top five of Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
247Sports' Tom Loy, however, believes this battle will ultimately come down to LSU and South Carolina.
"As it stands now, the two from his finalist group that I'm watching closely are South Carolina and LSU," noted Loy on Tuesday. "The Gamecocks and Tigers both have immense optimism at this point in the process…In connecting with sources close to this recruitment, it seems most likely that he'll eventually land at one of these two SEC programs."
Scouting report via 247Sports: Athletic offensive lineman with a dense build that has the foot quickness to lead the way on long pulls or counters and the horsepower to hold the line of scrimmage or change it. Ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl as he arrived with 34-inch arms and then was able to anchor all week against much older and larger defenders. Relentless energy allows him to not only be a plus finisher in the run game, but also readjust and recover in pass sets. Tends to punch with authority and frequently has the upper and lower halves dancing to the same tune. Has what it takes to certainly handle one of the corners on Saturdays, but combination of brute force and rare movement patterns suggest that he could emerge as a cheat code of a guard in a zone-blocking scheme. Might need a developmental year or two to find his bearings as he levels up in competition and adjusts to the speed of the college game, but profiles as someone that has what it takes to blossom into an early-round NFL Draft pick with his basketball background and full-time, two-way snaps at the prep level.
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Gray doesn't have a planned commitment date yet, so this recruiting battle is far from over. But it sounds like the Volunteers have some ground to make up if they're going to find a way to win the battle for Gray.
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