The Tennessee Vols are reportedly the leaders for an elite 2026 five-star football recruit
The Tennessee Vols are the team to beat for 2026 five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray. Gray told On3 that the Vols are his leader after he took an official visit to Tennessee this past weekend. Gray, 6-foot-3/285 lbs from Richmond, Va., is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the nation […]
The Tennessee Vols are the team to beat for 2026 five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray.
Gray told On3 that the Vols are his leader after he took an official visit to Tennessee this past weekend.
Gray, 6-foot-3/285 lbs from Richmond, Va., is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman 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.
Scouting report via 247Sports: Athletic offensive lineman with a dense build that has the foot quickness to lead the way on long pulls or counters and the horsepower to hold the line of scrimmage or change it. Ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl as he arrived with 34-inch arms and then was able to anchor all week against much older and larger defenders. Relentless energy allows him to not only be a plus finisher in the run game, but also readjust and recover in pass sets. Tends to punch with authority and frequently has the upper and lower halves dancing to the same tune. Has what it takes to certainly handle one of the corners on Saturdays, but combination of brute force and rare movement patterns suggest that he could emerge as a cheat code of a guard in a zone-blocking scheme. Might need a developmental year or two to find his bearings as he levels up in competition and adjusts to the speed of the college game, but profiles as someone that has what it takes to blossom into an early-round NFL Draft pick with his basketball background and full-time, two-way snaps at the prep level.
It's obviously great news for the Volunteers that they currently lead for Gray, but this recruiting battle is far from over.
Gray is scheduled to take official visits to Ohio State, LSU, and South Carolina over the next few weeks.
Tennessee's in a great spot for Gray right now, but things could quickly change if one of those other programs knocks it out of the park during the five-star recruit's official visit.
Gray doesn't currently have a date scheduled to announce his commitment.
