CONGRATULATIONS: Tennessee Basketball Announces Transfer Portal Tracker: Who’s on the Vols and Who’s Not

CLAIM SPORTS Tennessee Dealt Unfortunate College Football Recruiting News By Dave Holcomb Athlon Sports Updated February 18, 2025 3:32 PM The Tennessee Volunteers have done well at recruiting the top in-state football prospects in the 2026 class. Three of the top-10 Tennessee high schools recruits are already committed to the Vols. Tennessee has yet to land a fourth in-state prospect for 2026. On3.com’s Chad Simmons reported on Feb. 17 that a Volunteers four-star target has decided to leave the state to continue his football career. That prospect, defensive back Justin Hopkins, has committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. “Every time I talked to another school, it just couldn’t compare to how I felt when I talked with the Minnesota coaches,” Hopkins told On3. “Coach [Nick] Monroe came down twice, coach [P.J.] Fleck came down once, and there was no comparison for me.” Hopkins, who attends Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn., chose Minnesota over the USC Trojans, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and several other schools, including Tennessee. According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Hopkins is the No. 9 rated 2026 recruit in Tennessee. He is the third top-10 recruit in the state to commit to a school outside of Tennessee.

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