A development in May that was “hard for Tennessee fans to accept” ended up working out in the best way possible for Josh Heupel and the Vols.

When 2027 four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, the son of former Vols linebacker Kevin Simon, committed to Alabama over Tennessee in May, it was a massive letdown for UT fans.

Simon, who is ranked as the No. 6 overall linebacker in the nation, didn’t just spurn the Vols, but he chose Alabama over his dad’s alma mater.

Fortunately for Tennessee, Simon’s commitment to Alabama didn’t last long as he flipped to the Vols last weekend.

And that was a better development for Tennessee than if Simon had committed to the Vols in the first place in May.

Kenneth Simon committing to Alabama and then flipping to Tennessee was the best way this could’ve played out for the Vols

If Simon had committed to Tennessee in May, it would mostly be an afterthought as we enter the thick of the summer.

It was actually better for the Vols that it played out the way it did. Tennessee has some real momentum going into the recruiting dead period (June 23 to July 31) — when numerous big-time commitments will be announced (including five-star running back and Vols target David Gabriel Georges) — thanks to Simon’s dramatic flip from Alabama last weekend.

“I think Tennessee deep down felt like this was always possible,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will this week. “I think they felt like it would be this fall, though. I think it happened faster than they thought. And again, [it happened] organically. He came over (to Tennessee) and hung out with some buddies. He didn’t even hang out with the staff. It was just one of those things where he just hung out with Kesean Bowman and Tristen Keys and Tyreek King, and just had a good time.

“I think it is honestly better this route than it was had he just picked Tennessee to begin with,” added Price. “Because had he picked Tennessee to begin with, every fan would have said, ‘Well, of course, Kevin Simon’s kid is going to Tennessee.’

“Now it’s a little bit more like, ‘Whoa, they flipped him from Alabama’ — it’s more of a thing. And so I think that made it little bit of a bigger deal.”

We say all the time that you never know what will happen in recruiting — nothing is final until there’s a signature (and even then we’ve seen things change).

What looked like a big loss for Heupel in May ended up being what gave Tennessee some important momentum going into July (maybe that momentum helps the Vols land Gabriel Georges…we’ll see on July 22).