It was a big weekend on Rocky Top for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols. The “865 Live” weekend event saw a number of notable visitors flock to Knoxville from all over the country to check out what the Big Orange has to offer.

One notable prospect didn’t have to go far. Four-star Oak Ridge tight end Malik Howard made the short trip from Anderson to Knox County. But it might end up being one of the most important visits of the weekend when all is said and done.

According to Matt Ray of VolQuest, Howard could be making a decision sooner than later, noting he could be “real close” to deciding.

4-star Oak Ridge TE Malik Howard could be ‘real close’ to making a decision after visit to Tennessee

“I am real close,” Howard told VolQuest. “It will be within the next few weeks. I just have more thinking and praying to do. I could end up cutting it short.”

Howard has a list of notable suitors that includes Alabama, who he’s set to visit next weekend, and Oregon, who is Ray notes is trying to get him to flip his visit to Eugene.

But Notre Dame is the other major player in Howard’s recruitment. Right now, it appears as though the Vols and Irish are jockeying out front of the pack for his services, and Tennessee certainly appears to be in a pretty good spot after this visit, particularly if he’s talking about cutting his recruitment short with a visit with Notre Dame still to come next month.

Howard ranks as the No. 227 overall player, No. 11 tight end, and No. 10 player in the state of Tennessee for the 2027 cycle. Beyond the schools he’s set to visit, he holds offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, Texas A&M, Indiana, and UNC, among many others. He finished 2025 with 53 catches for 775 yards and 11 touchdowns for Oak Ridge.

Heupel has done a nice job in recent years adding talent to the tight end room. Ethan Davis and DaSaahn Brame are set to play big roles for the Vols in 2026.

We’ll find out in the coming days if Tennessee can close the deal to add another one for 2027 and beyond.