Recruiting analyst says the Tennessee Vols are willing to take NIL efforts up another notch to land highly coveted 5-star recruit
The Tennessee Vols are in the midst of an intense recruiting battle for 2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter. Hiter, 5-foot-11/200 lbs from Mineral, Va., is rated as the No. 1 running back in the nation. Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Tennessee are the top contenders for Hiter. And On3's Steve Wiltfong believes that it's […]
The Tennessee Vols are in the midst of an intense recruiting battle for 2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter.
Hiter, 5-foot-11/200 lbs from Mineral, Va., is rated as the No. 1 running back in the nation.
Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Tennessee are the top contenders for Hiter.
And On3's Steve Wiltfong believes that it's Michigan and Tennessee that are at the top of this recruiting battle (though Hiter seemed to pour some cold water on that report).
Wiltfong also believes that Michigan and Tennessee are the two programs willing to do what it takes from an NIL perspective to land Hiter.
"I still think it's Michigan and Tennessee when [it's] all said and done," said Wiltfong. "Those are the programs I'm watching the most right now. I think they're the programs that will take that recruitment up another level from an NIL standpoint, if they have to, to land one of the most coveted players on their board, respectively."
VolQuest's Austin Price said earlier this week during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone that Tennessee would be his guess for Hiter if he had to make a pick right now, though he noted that Michigan is "not going away".
"I like where Tennessee is at," said Price. "I feel like right now, if I had to make a pick, it would be Tennessee. Michigan is not going to go away. To me, they're right there with the Vols. I mean, if it's percentages, it's half a point. I mean, it's very close. Ohio State's not out of it. They're running in the three hole, in my opinion. But they're still in it. And then I think Georgia is a distant fourth. I don't think they're a real contender here as we sit here in early June."
Tennessee will get Hiter's final official visit, which is a big advantage for the Vols, but this is a recruiting battle that could go all the way until the early signing period in December.
The good news for Vols fans, though, is that it sounds like Tennessee will be willing to pony up some serious NIL cash in order to land Hiter.
