Tennessee Vols labeled as a 'darkhorse' in heated battle for elite 2026 5-star recruit
The Tennessee Vols are considered a "darkhorse" for one of the nation's most coveted 2026 recruits. 2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter is a player that every program in the nation would love to have on their roster. Hiter, 5-foot-11/200 lbs from Mineral, VA, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 running […]
The Tennessee Vols are considered a "darkhorse" for one of the nation's most coveted 2026 recruits.
2026 five-star running back Savion Hiter is a player that every program in the nation would love to have on their roster.
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. 1 player in the state of Virginia. He's also rated as the No. 16 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
For now, the Michigan Wolverines are viewed as the favorites for Hiter with the Georgia Bulldogs running in second.
Tennessee and Ohio State are also hanging around in the mix.
"Michigan has been setting the pace in his (Hiter) recruitment but Georgia is charging hard, Tennessee is a darkhorse and Ohio State rounds out the top four," noted On3's Steve Wiltfong on Monday.
Hiter will take official visits this spring/summer to each of the four programs mentioned above. His official visit to Tennessee is scheduled for the weekend of June 20.
Official visits can make a huge impact on a recruiting battle, which is why Hiter's official visit to Tennessee in late June will be the Vols' best chance to make a big move for the elite running back prospect.
2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, a Vols commit since last August, is doing his part to help recruit Hiter to Knoxville.
Brandon recently pointed out to 247Sports that Hiter is one of the primary 2026 recruits that he's been trying to recruit to Tennessee.
It's going to be tough to beat out either Michigan or Georgia for Hiter, but if the Volunteers knock his official visit out of the park, Tennessee will at least have a chance at convincing the five-star recruit to commit to Josh Heupel's program.
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