Recruiting Buzz in Tennessee
A rundown of the latest recruiting buzz around the state of Tennessee as well as a look at younger talent seeing their stocks rise with recent power five offers.
David Braun now a permanent fixture at Northwestern:
- The news of Northwestern taking the interim tag off David Braun and making him the permanent head coach brought a lot of joy to many of the 2024 commitments in the Wildcats class.
Among that group included three-star safety Turrelle Williams out of Bradley Central (Tenn.), who had this to say about Braun's interim tag being removed.
"It fires me up. Makes me want to get up there and start to get to work."
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect has built a great rapport with Braun throughout his recruiting process and is looking forward to his future at Northwestern.
"Overall, (I like) his passion for the guys and the game. He cares for everyone. They are playing well. Not giving up any deep balls or anything of that sort. Playing physical, smart, and fast. That's exactly how I want to play."
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Zach Arnett out at Mississippi State:
It was a short tenure for Zach Arnett at Mississippi State, who didn't survive his first season as the Bulldogs head coach after being dismissed earlier this week. With a coaching change looming in Starkville, it has a direct impact on two Tennessee prospects that are in the Bulldogs class.
- Jack Byers of BulldogBlitz.com caught up with Work after news broke of Arnett's firing, the Lausanne (Tenn.) offensive tackle appears to be locked in with the Bulldogs for the long haul, offering up the following quote.
“It’s something you don’t want to hear as a commit, but I am committed and will stay committed and just see what happens. God had a plan and I feel like he’s sending me to Starkville for a reason.”
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- Shepard didn't have a comment on Arnett's firing as his Germantown team is in the midst of an undefeated season and will face Houston (Tenn.) in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A bracket.
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound prospect chose Mississippi State back on June 12th and had other notable offers from Louisville, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas, and Nebraska.
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Flip watch:
- Barnes has been a longtime Virginia Tech commit, but Georgia's coaching staff is giving the three-star prospect a lot to think about in his recruiting process. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect took his second gameday visit to Athens over the weekend and he's feeling a lot of love from the Bulldogs.
"Honestly, Georgia has not changed since I received the offer. Everytime I go to Athens, they show a lot of love to my family and I. They always respect that I am committed but let me know that they want me to be a part of their program. I loved the atmosphere and the energy."
Ole Miss is another school making a push for Barnes, who said a visit to Oxford is something on his schedule. Georgia is recruiting Barnes as a cornerback.
Sensabaugh hits the reset button:
- The three-star cornerback was a longtime Vanderbilt commit, but decided to back off his pledge to the Commodores this past Sunday following an unofficial visit with Missouri. He has since set up official visits with NC State (November 25th), Tennessee (December 8th), and Missouri (December 15th).
The Wolfpack offered Sensabaugh during the summer after he impressed at their camp. He visited the Volunteers for a game earlier in the season and Tennessee is his latest offer, while Missouri just had him on campus last weekend.
Top50 talent back at Georgia:
- Georgia continues to be a strong fixture in the recruiting process of Sparks, who was back in Athens over the weekend for the Bulldogs' 52-17 drubbing of Ole Miss.
This was the second gameday visit to Georgia for the No. 43 prospect in the 2025 class, who was at Athens last season for the Bulldogs' win against Tennessee. Sparks also visited Georgia in the spring as well and has maintained a great relationship with head coach Kirby Smart and co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
Michigan recently jumped in with an offer while Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida State are also making big pushes for the Top50 talent.
Stock risers:
- Anes has put together a stellar junior season so far, tallying 68 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks on the season. Power five schools are taking notice as the three-star talent has picked up recent offers from Tennessee, Duke, and Wisconsin. He'll be at Indiana this weekend for a visit.
- Sanders has been one of the young bright spots on an FRA team that is currently 11-1 on the season. The rangy freshman has already picked up offers from Colorado, Louisville, Michigan, and UCF. Sanders is definitely asserting himself as one of the best freshman talents in the country.
- Sticking with talent from FRA, Clark has been a catalyst for the Panthers' offense this season, rushing for 1,463 yards and 26 touchdowns while also catching 13 passes for 199 yards and one score out of the backfield. Wake Forest recently became the first power five offer for the 6-foot, 205-pound senior, a school he's planning to visit down the road. Clark will likely have more power five options as national signing day draws near.