Josh Heupel keeps going national and stealing top prospects on the defensive line from other prestigious schools when it comes to recruiting. This time, Tennessee Football received a commitment from an elite edge rusher who is within 15 miles of the University of Notre Dame.
Four-star 2025 defensive end Mariyon Dye of Indiana didn’t have the Fighting Irish on his radar, but he committed to the Vols over the Purdue Boilermakers and two blue bloods in the Ohio State Buckeyes and LSU Tigers. He announced his commitment to Rocky Top Friday on social media.
Standing at 6’5″ 270 pounds, Dye hails from Elkhart High School in Elkhart County, Ind., which is just south of South Bend. He is the fifth commitment for Tennessee Football in the past eight days across five different states and three different time zones. Four of them are four-stars.
Although this is another steal for Heupel and co., Dye is not as shocking as four-star offensive lineman Douglas Utu from Las Vegas or cornerback Tre Poteat out of Wisconsin. His commitment actually falls in line with the type of system Heupel runs in conjunction with Tim Banks.
Given the way Heupel likes to throw it all over the field, he often builds up early leads and forces the other team into passing situations. That’s conducive to edge rushers having lots of chances to rack up sacks, which is why a guy like Dye would be attracted to the Vols.
Byron Young and now James Pearce Jr. are showing that. Then there is the fact that Rodney Garner will be coaching you. Add it all up, and edge rushers appear to be taking the same Heupel discount that quarterbacks and wide receivers are taking.
Of course, Dye could follow in the tradition of hybrid defensive linemen Banks and Garner like if he puts on weight, but his highlight reel to this point shows he’s best on the outside, as he uses his speed to run down players in the backfield. How well that translates against SEC competition will determine how he’s used.
With Dye’s commitment, Tennessee Football now has 16 players in its 2025 class. The Vols have also moved up to No. 10 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, and they may not be done, as a couple of other big fish appear to be right around the corner.
