Tennessee continues to get positive reviews from prospects following its second junior day of the year last weekend. The Vols have certainly improved their position with several key prospects.

Here are four visitors that came away impressed after their trip to Knoxville.

Pupungatoa Katoa

Katoa is seemingly falling for the Vols, having visited Tennessee twice in the past month. That’s a massive shift for the 6-foot-4, 365-pound offensive lineman prospect from Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. The 2026 prospect had recently been focused on schools closer to home. Now, the Vols are in the mix based on his recent post on X.

The Vols are listed in Katoa’s top five, along with Texas, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma on his social media post earlier this week. Katoa is ranked as a three-star prospect.

Dre Quinn

Quinn, a 6-4, 228-pound EDGE rusher from Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga., seems to be drawing close to UT head coach Josh Heupel. The four-star prospect in the 2026 class said the two have connected over the past few weeks, per a report by On3. 

“He is very relatable,” Quinn said. “He is the only head coach that I can have an actual conversation with him being comfortable with and not being a robot.”

Quinn recently picked up a scholarship offer from Texas, so the competition is only growing for one of the highest-rated EDGE rusher prospects in the nation. Quinn said he has also drawn closer to Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

“What stands out about him is how we relate a lot,” Quinn. “We are both from the country. He is from Alabama, and I am from Mississippi, so we relate through that, and also, he coached my trainer, Marcus Howard. Coach Garner is just a great coach.”

Tyson Robinson

The Vols seem to be in great shape with Robinson, a 5-9, 185-pound running back prospect from Brandon (Miss.) High School. Tennessee has had success with smaller tailbacks, as evident by a record-breaking season last year from former Vol Dylan Sampson, who was 5-11 and 201 pounds.

“I see that I am another Dylan Sampson” Robinson reportedly told On3 when asked about potentially being a part of Tennessee’s offense. “I am hard-nosed, and I can do a bunch out of the backfield as well.”

Tennessee has also given extensive snaps to smallish running back DeSean Bishop, who is listed generously at 5-10 and 200 pounds.

“I have got the strongest relationship with Tennessee by far,” Robinson said. “Getting me to come up here and just talking to me every day is just great for me. They are far up there. They are real far up there. They are blowing everyone out of the water.”

Ba’Roc Willis

The Vols have improved their position with one of the top EDGE rushers in the 2027 class. Willis is a four-star prospect from Moody (Ala.) High School and recently re-opened his recruitment after being committed to Alabama for almost six months.

The key to Willis’ recruitment? Determination. Tennessee senior defensive analyst Levorn Harbin hasn’t given up on Willis, despite his earlier Crimson Tide commitment. 

“After I committed, Coach ‘Chop’ was still coming,” Willis told 247Sports. “…He was still checking me out, talking to me, so they were just there the whole time while I was committed.”