Just when everyone seemed focused on Tennessee’s 2026 class, the Vols had one last treat for the 2025 crew set to become Volunteers in the coming months.
Three-star linebacker Brenden Anes flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Tennessee on Thursday. There are a couple of reasons why this pledge can pay long-term dividends for the Vols, even if Anes isn’t even close to being one of highest rated players in the Vols’ 2025 class.
First, I’ve preached this until I’m blue in the face. Tennessee’s culture is what recruits its prospects, not NIL and not facilities, since everyone has those nowadays. It’s also not the prospects of playing on national television since everyone does that nowadays as well. That recruiting advantage has gone the way of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
An in-state player with borderline skills used to be a risk. It isn’t anymore. In fact, it’s a safer bet than ever. If Anes, who is from Fred J. Page High School in Franklin, Tenn., shows up and can’t play, then the Vols can pat him on the back, tell him Knoxville isn’t for him and ship him into the transfer portal where he can find a home at a more appropriate school. Anes, being an instate player, also should be a positive addition to the Vols’ culture because he has grown up nearby. That, however, is the worst case scenario.
The best case scenario is that he becomes like one of the many in-state prospects that have helped the Vols build their team culture and make an impact on the field, even though they didn’t get immediate playing time. The prime example is center Cooper Mays. No, he wasn’t signed by Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, but Mays played about every position one can imagine, including fullback and tight end, before settling into center and becoming one of the absolute best in the nation at that position. Now more than ever, Tennessee can allow prospects to grow.
Linebacker Jeremiah Telander is a great example. He wasn’t ready for the big stage last season, but is setting the stage on fire as the Vols’ current starting middle backer.
Anes is also probably a bit better than his recruiting ranking would indicate, which is as a three-star linebacker who is considered the 20th best prospect in Tennessee, the 61st linebacker in the nation and 584th prospect overall.
Anes is better than that and he’s certainly better than he was when he committed to Wisconsin in June. Tennessee’s coaches have kept tabs on Anes. Why? Because recruiting services don’t continue to evaluate committed prospects nearly as much as the ones that like to play the recruiting game by keeping everyone guessing.
Let’s be clear. Anes will be expected to develop and play, not just fill out the 2025 recruiting class, mostly because he filled out his frame.
Anes didn’t sit on that Wisconsin pledge and let his senior season play out. No, he got better, as evident by the Vols continuing to pursue him. That’s another sign that the Vols may have gotten a treat by tricking the Badgers on Halloween.
Tennessee absolutely cannot simply rely on in-state talent to win and compete for championships. A very prominent former Tennessee coach, Gen. Robert Neyland, knew that when he coached in the first half of the last century. Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer knew that when he built a championship team in the late 1990’s.
Yes, Nashville is bigger than ever before and the football in the state of Tennessee is better than ever before, but the Vols will still have to venture to places like Atlanta and the Carolinas to find most of their elite playmakers. However, when it comes to solid players that can only enhance Tennessee’s team culture, Anes is that kind of player by all accounts.
The biggest question about Anes was probably his size. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, but that was probably a bit of a reach when he committed to the Badgers this summer. Now, he may be even bigger. Anes will probably need to get bigger, but size and determination doesn’t seem to be an issue.
“Natural athlete with above average reactionary athleticism and key and diagnose ability as a second level defender,” 247 national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna. “Can navigate space + demonstrates the ability to pull the pin and play downhill. High level processor that plays in-sync. Sudden mover that’s athletic enough to drop in coverage and fast enough to play sideline to sideline if necessary. Need to verify frame. Added some good weight as a Sr. as he looked narrow at times as a Jr. Physically willing at the point of attack and shows some ability to stack and shed. Will need to continue to develop from a play strength standpoint at the next level.”
On the surface, Anes may seem like just a late, low-rated pickup to complete the 2025 class. However, he’s more than that. In many ways, he’s exactly the type of prospect that has made the Vols successful.
