Tennessee Vols earn big recruiting win on the first day of the early signing period
The Tennessee Vols pulled some recruiting magic on the first day of the early signing period.
The Tennessee Vols earned a couple of big-time recruiting wins on the first day of the early signing period.
Shortly after lunch time, news broke that 2026 four-star edge rusher Carter Gooden flipped his commitment from the UCLA Bruins to Tennessee.
Gooden, 6-foot-4/260 lbs from Marion, MA, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 17 player in the state of Massachusetts and the No. 17 edge rusher in the nation. He’s also rated as the No. 147 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
The four-star recruit had been committed to UCLA since July. Gooden flipped his commitment to Tennessee after taking an official visit to Knoxville this past weekend for the Vols’ matchup against Vanderbilt.
That wasn’t the only big news that happened for the Vols on Wednesday.
The big flip for the Vols happened a few minutes after Gooden committed when 2026 four-star wide receiver Legend Bey flipped from Ohio State to Tennessee.
Bey had been committed to Tennessee before flipping to Ohio State in November. The four-star recruit is a dynamic athlete who has the potential to be one of the top playmakers in the SEC.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel praised wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope on Wednesday for the work he did in recruiting Bey.
Tennessee’s 2025 season ended on a sour note, but flipping Bey and Gooden is a terrific start to the offseason for the Volunteers.
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