After a big recruiting weekend in which four lowly-rated players committed to Tennessee football, which seemed like a desperation move for Josh Heupel, the Vols finally made a legitimate splash to kick off July. UT landed two elite defenders out of Jackson Academy in Mississippi Tuesday afternoon and then picked up an in-state defensive back.
Defensive lineman Dereon Albert and linebacker T.J. White, both four-stars across the board out of Jackson, Miss., joined the Vols’ fast-rising 2026 recruiting class. Both commitments were expected, but it’s always difficult to know what a player will do until they make their decision.
Jamyan Theodore, a defensive back out of Baylor School in Chattanooga, committed to the Vols an hour later. Originally from Canada, Theodore recently moved to Tennessee and is a three-star across the board except for ESPN, where he is not yet rated.
Albert chose Tennessee football specifically over the North Carolina Tar Heels, the closest competitor, and White chose them over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles and Auburn Tigers along with UNC. Although the Vols are the only team among that group to finish last year in the top 25, all are formidable competition on the trail for different reasons.
The two announced their commitments during a live ceremony along with teammate O’mari Johnson, who chose UNC.
Standing at 6’2″ and already weighing more than 300 pounds, Albert should immediately have an impact in the middle for the Vols. Rodney Garner’s defensive line rotation will require he plays, and he has the raw potential to be a force up front for the team.
A look at Albert’s highlight reel shows he can play on the edge in a three-down linemen set or play in the middle in the traditional 4-3 setting, a huge advantage in UT’s system, which does do both. He could play the role of Tyre West or Dominic Bailey when it comes to that.
White, meanwhile, stands at 6’2″ 230 pounds, already a great size for a linebacker. However, he could put on weight and move over to edge. At the same time, the Vols will likely have a greater need for linebacker in the future once Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander leave, and playing for an elite coach like William Inge can only help.
Although his size shows him as much more of a pass-rusher and run-stopper, his lateral quickness as shown on his highlight reel should allow him to develop into a solid coverage linebacker. It also gives him room to put on weight and be an elite edge rusher, though, so either is possible.
Meanwhile, Theodore could be your classic steal by Tim Banks and Willie Martinez. Sure, he’s just a three-star, but he’s a late bloomer, hence the bouncing of schools, and he also runs track, so he brings legit speed to the table. Simply put, his profile could rise significantly in the coming months.
With these three pickups, Tennessee football now has 16 players committed for 2026 and has shot up into the top 15, at No. 12 on the 247Sports Composite rankings after being outside of the top 50 before the weekend. Heupel is still targeting other top players expected to commit this month to, so this could be the start of something huge.
