Tennessee could have a built-in advantage for an elite 2027 recruit who visited over the weekend
The Vols landed two teammates of a current four-star offensive lineman, and that could be helpful in securing his commitment this year.
The Tennessee Vols had tons of talent on campus this weekend for the program’s “865 Live” recruiting event that included several notable names from the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes.
Included among them is Jackson, MS (Jackson Academy) offensive lineman Caden Moss. The big lineman from Mississippi appeared to be enjoying himself from the various images he posted around campus on Twitter (X) on Saturday.
While Moss has other trips planned among contenders, something he mentioned during his comments about his trip to Rivals highlights an edge that perhaps Tennessee has built up over the last year: Mississippi talent.
The Vols have done a nice job landing some important players from the Magnolia State, and that includes two of Moss’s high school teammates from Jackson Academy.
Jackson, MS 4-star OL Caden Moss has two high school teammates on Tennessee’s roster
Tennessee was able to sign two four-star players from Jackson Academy as part of their 2026 class in LB TJ White and DL Dereon Albert. Tennessee also scored the top player in Mississippi from last cycle in five-star wide receiver TK Keys.
That was important to Moss, as he noted during his visit to Rivals.
“The environment was great today,” Moss said of his visit. “I would love the opportunity to play with my high school teammates again.”
“[W]ith those players, TJ, Dereon (Albert), TK (Keys) from Mississippi coming here and having success is good,” Moss told Volquest. “They want me up here because there’s good players from Mississippi. They are trying to recruit the best.”
Landing Moss would be a massive win for Heupel, as Moss checks in as the No. 41 overall player, No. 4 offensive tackle, and No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi for 2027 in Rivals’ industry rankings. He holds offers from plenty of marquee schools, and he still has visits scheduled with Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Kentucky.
We’ll see if Heupel can ultimately close the deal in the coming months, and it certainly won’t hurt his sales pitch by having two of his former teammates waiting for him in Knoxville.