Late last year, 2028 four-star quarterback Graham Simpson told On3 that he hoped to receive an offer from the Tennessee Vols.

Simpson, the younger brother of former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 15 quarterback in the nation and the No. 14 player in the state of Tennessee.

The offer from Tennessee came in January, but an offer doesn’t necessarily mean a coaching staff is going all-in on recruiting a player.

Tennessee isn’t in the mix for Graham Simpson

The top quarterbacks in the 2028 recruiting class are entering decision mode as spots are expected to fill up quickly this summer.

And it doesn’t appear that Tennessee and Simpson are a fit for each other.

The Vols aren’t among the top schools in the mix for Simpson (that list includes Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt).

Instead of pursuing Simpson, Josh Heupel and the Vols have identified Kaden Craft as their top quarterback target in the 2028 recruiting class.

“Kaden [Craft], a quarterback in the 2028 class, that feels like Tennessee’s guy,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price in June. “And it feels like Tennessee’s got a ton of momentum with him. He was in town Saturday for the big orange barbecue, and then camp on Sunday. So it feels like Tennessee’s got a ton of momentum there.”

Craft, 6-foot-4/210 pounds from Mooresville, NC, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 8 quarterback in the nation and the No. 4 player in the state of North Carolina.

Tennessee showed some interest in Simpson, but the Vols are moving in a different direction.