The Tennessee Vols could benefit in a big way from recent college football coaching change
The Tennessee Vols could end up benefitting from some recent under-the-radar college football coaching news. Earlier this month, the Penn State Nittany Lions lost running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Penn State hired former Temple head coach Stan Drayton, who is also a former Tennessee assistant, to replace Seider). As […]
The Tennessee Vols could end up benefitting from some recent under-the-radar college football coaching news.
Earlier this month, the Penn State Nittany Lions lost running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Penn State hired former Temple head coach Stan Drayton, who is also a former Tennessee assistant, to replace Seider).
As a result of the coaching change, 2026 four-star running back Messiah Mickens, a Penn State commit since 2023, is "exploring" his options.
Mickens is still committed to Penn State, but he's planning to take an official visit to Tennessee in the wake of Seider leaving State College for South Bend.
Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Missouri are also set to receive official visits from Mickens.
Mickens told 247Sports that Tennessee's "history of running backs" is a big reason why he's interested in the Volunteers.
"Honestly, it's the history of running backs," said Mickens. "I really love how they used Alvin Kamara and they still use that offense to this day. I just like their offense. They are great. It fits my style of running back and it's a great school as well."
Mickens admitted to On3 that it would be "super hard" for him to decommit from the Nittany Lions, but he's at least open to the idea of playing college football somewhere other than Penn State.
“It would be super hard for me to leave honestly,” said Mickens to On3. “God will give me the sign if it’s right or not.”
Mickens, 5-foot-10/200 lbs from Harrisburg, PA, is rated in On3's industry rankings as the No. 10 running back in the country and the No. 4 player in the state of Pennsylvania. He's also rated as the No. 108 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
The talented running back is described by 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn as "a high-level Power 5 prospect with high-end NFL draft characteristics".
Mickens was offered by Tennessee in early 2023.
