Tennessee is battling a former Vols assistant coach for one of their top remaining recruiting targets who is set to commit in late July
Josh Heupel and the Volunteers are battling a former Tennessee assistant coach for one of the program’s top remaining recruiting targets, who is set to commit on July 29.
The Tennessee Vols are battling a former UT assistant coach for one of the program’s top remaining recruiting targets.
Tennessee’s top remaining target is obviously 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, but he’s not the only running back the Vols are targeting.
The Volunteers are viewed as the favorites to land 2027 three-star running back Asa Barnes, but it’s far from a done deal.
Barnes is set to announce his commitment on July 29. He’ll be choosing between Tennessee and Arkansas.
Tennessee is facing off against a former Vols assistant coach in the battle for Asa Barnes
The biggest reason the Razorbacks have a chance with Barnes is because of running backs coach David Johnson, who previously served as an assistant coach at Tennessee from 2018 to 2019.
“Arkansas has surged thanks to a long-standing bond with running backs coach David ‘Coach Yak’ Johnson,” noted Rivals’ Chad Simmons this week.
“That connection with Coach Yak is one of the main reasons I’m considering Arkansas,” said Barnes to Rivals. “I like his coaching style, the way he keeps it real and how he develops great men off the field.”
Tennessee is still the team to beat, but Johnson has Arkansas in the mix. And if the Razorbacks decide to go all-in from an NIL perspective, it could be hard for the Vols to match (especially since Tennessee is reportedly going all-in with a record-breaking offer to Gabriel Georges).
Barnes is a player the Vols obviously like, and he’d be a good fit at Tennessee, but he may be more of a need for Arkansas, which could impact how this battle plays out on July 29.