'It'll get back to a little old school recruiting for him at the end' – Insider gives latest on Vols' pursuit of 5-star RB Savion Hiter
The Tennessee Vols will host 2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter on an extremely important official visit this weekend. Hiter, 5-foot-11/200 lbs from Mineral, VA, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 running back in the nation and the No. 17 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, […]
The Tennessee Vols will host 2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter on an extremely important official visit this weekend.
Hiter, 5-foot-11/200 lbs from Mineral, VA, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 running back in the nation and the No. 17 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Tennessee are the four schools still in the mix for Hiter.
Michigan and Tennessee, however, are believed to be the two schools out in front in this recruiting battle.
NIL money will obviously play a role in Hiter's decision. But the feeling is that Michigan and Tennessee both have NIL offers in the same range, so this isn't a situation where money will be the deciding factor.
That's why VolQuest's Brent Hubbs thinks this battle will come down to a little "old school recruiting".
Hubbs joined 104.5 The Zone's Ramon and Will on Friday morning and he gave the latest on Hiter's recruitment.
"Savion will not do an interview when he leaves or after the visit," said Hubbs. "I mean, he just doesn't do them. He just keeps everything to himself. People around him have indicated that it's Tennessee and Michigan as the top two teams. I do believe that's the case. The good news for Tennessee is he was here for the 865 Live event three weeks ago and he's coming back (for his official visit). He's been here multiple times. Distance from home is a bit of a factor as well. [There's] opportunity here. (Vols running backs coach) De'Rail Sims did a really good job with him.
"Obviously, there's NIL in play, revenue share money for him in play. That'll be a discussion. I do think that those numbers are going to be very comparable between the two schools, and it'll get back to a comfort level. Where does he feel most comfortable? Tennessee is showing him all the hospitality they can and trying to make him feel like this is a better place for him to be at for the next three years, instead of Ann Arbor. So it'll get back to a little old school recruiting for him at the end. Because, again, I think financially, I don't think anybody's going to be significantly ahead of the other school because of how talented he is. So it'll come back to relationships and comfort."
The fact that Tennessee gets the final official visit in this recruiting battle is huge. Getting that final visit, combined with the fact that Knoxville is three hours closer to Hiter's hometown than Ann Arbor, should have the Vols feeling pretty good heading into this weekend.
Of course, nothing is ever settled in recruiting until a player actually signs and enrolls, so a lot could still change in this battle — even after Hiter announces his commitment. But for now, you have to feel like Tennessee is the favorite to land the elite five-star running back.
