Tennessee Vols lose in-state hidden gem to the Georgia Bulldogs
The Tennessee Vols may have lost an in-state hidden gem to the Georgia Bulldogs this week. On Friday, 2025 three-star defensive lineman Stephon Shivers announced his commitment to Georgia. Shivers, 6-foot-4/355 lbs from Humboldt, TN, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 39 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 13 player in the […]
The Tennessee Vols may have lost an in-state hidden gem to the Georgia Bulldogs this week.
On Friday, 2025 three-star defensive lineman Stephon Shivers announced his commitment to Georgia.
Shivers, 6-foot-4/355 lbs from Humboldt, TN, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 39 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 13 player in the state of Tennessee.
Shivers grew up "liking Tennessee" and he told GoVols247 last fall after a visit to Knoxville that playing for the Vols was "going to be kind of tough to pass up".
Tennessee outside linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler made an in-home visit with Shivers in February.
Georgia, however, identified Shivers as one of their top recruiting targets, despite his three-star rating, and they were able to close the deal this week.
The Bulldogs obviously don't view Shivers as a three-star recruit. Instead, they see a massive 355 lb defensive lineman that has impressive first-step quickness for his size.
Scouting report from Shivers' high school coach, via 247Sports: "Man, just seeing the kid, his size, his quickness, the speed he plays with. He's just a different animal. He's a special kid. Not a lot of 350-pound kids that move that well. It's really as simple as that. His biggest thing for me is his initial quickness. That first step is an elite first step. Off the ball, it's as quick as can be. He's 6-5, 350, so you don't usually see first steps like he has. So that's probably No. 1A. 1B, his size, he's massive, especially in the interior of that D-line. He's a good run stopper, but the quickness on the first step really helps him in the pass-rush game, as well. So I could see him being a three-down defensive lineman instead of a specialist here or there."
Tennessee is recruiting at a high level under Josh Heupel. And they've won some intense recruiting battles against top programs like Alabama and Georgia. But the Bulldogs are still a tough program to consistently beat out for recruits.
If Shivers is the next great interior defensive lineman for Georgia, it's going to be tough for Vols fans to hear about how he grew up liking Tennessee for the next several years.
