2028 Tight End Ridge Janes Details Recent Visit with Tennessee Football

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Dale Dowden | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 10:18 PM ET

The Vols welcomed Arkansas to Neyland Stadium last weekend for what turned into a hard-fought win for Tennessee.

The Razorbacks were not the only visitors in Knoxville as high school prospect, targets and commits were in attendance for the SEC matchup.

2028 TE Ridge Janes made the trip to get another look at the Vols, specifically to see how the tight end position is utilized.

"The gameday visit was really great," Janes exclaimed.

"The overall gameday atmosphere was amazing; hospitality was great, the crowd was crazy fun, and the Vols had the great win."

Positional Group Evaluation

The tight end is a vital part of the Tennessee offense, even when it is unorthodox to most. The Vols like to run multiple tight end packages along with playing with the alignment within the packages.

Miles Kitselman has been tight on the formation, split out wide, and even lined up in the backfield during this 2025 season. Janes was able to see that and much more.

"The tight end position was/is a focal point in their offense, and I like how at least one (TE) was always on the field. I am a very versatile tight end and can play either on or off the ball. So, I think I would fit in as I can make plays in both the passing and the running game while using my size and wingspan," Janes told Vols on SI.

The sophomore student-athlete has already been able to get acquainted with many coaches on the staff due to a prior visit back in the spring.

"Yes, I got to visit Tennessee in the spring and really liked getting to talk football and schemes with Coach (Alec) Abeln. He and all of the staff have been great, so I couldn't wait to get on campus again for a game," Janes said.

The Missouri based product is already experiencing a huge wave in the recruitment, but the young prospect is taking it all in stride and day-by-day.

"In terms of my recruiting process, it's been an advantage to me having amazing football programs recruiting me this early in my football journey, as it's helping me build relationships with coaches, see how they use their tight ends, learn about the colleges, and start to feel where I might want to end up. I am trying to just take everything in, go on as many gameday visits and overall visits as I can to find a future fit... keeping all of my options open," Janes detailed.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end has already made a few stops, and has a few stops left on the college visits this fall.

Janes has already had the pleasure of checking out Missouri, Alabama, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. There are a handful of schools still in play as a chunk of the season still remains.

LSU, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma could all be potential visit destinations over the next few weeks.