Why the Tennessee Vols have an early edge for one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class
The Tennessee Vols are one of numerous programs already recruiting 2026 tight end Carson Sneed. Sneed, 6-foot-5/226 lbs from Nashville, TN, hasn't been rated yet by the major recruiting services, but he already has offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among several others. Suffice it to say, Sneed is a coveted […]
The Tennessee Vols are one of numerous programs already recruiting 2026 tight end Carson Sneed.
Sneed, 6-foot-5/226 lbs from Nashville, TN, hasn't been rated yet by the major recruiting services, but he already has offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among several others.
Suffice it to say, Sneed is a coveted recruit despite the fact that he won't be suiting up on a college football field for another three years.
Tennessee appears to have the early edge for Sneed thanks to a family connection.
Sneed's older brother, Dayton, is a freshman walk-on wide receiver at UT.
The talented 2026 tight end recently spoke to Rivals.com about his interest in Tennessee.
"I'm building a great relationship there," said Sneed. "It was a great camp. I got to talk to (tight ends) Coach (Alec) Ableln a ton. I got to talk with Coach (Josh) Heupel a little bit and Coach (Joey) Halzle, their offensive coordinator. I love it there. It's a great place. Camp went really well. I won a lot of my reps and feel like I got better and got great coaching."
There's obviously still a long way to go in this recruiting battle, but Sneed is a player that Tennessee absolutely needs to land. If the Vols are going to consistently be an elite program moving forward, they have to routinely land the top in-state players. So far, Josh Heupel and his staff are doing a great job with in-state players, but they have to keep that momentum going.
Vols senior explains tough conversations he sometimes has to have with Josh Heupel
A Tennessee Vols senior explained this week the tough conversations he sometimes has to have with head coach Josh Heupel
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
