Josh Heupel lost an off-the-field battle to an SEC rival and it’s not sitting well with Tennessee Vols fans

Kenneth Simon II explains his decision to commit to Alabama

Simon admitted to On3 that Tennessee was “all he thought about” growing up, but Alabama ultimately felt like the right fit.

“That’s (Tennessee) all I thought about growing up, but you’ve got to go somewhere that puts you in the best position,” said Simon to On3. “I prayed about it a lot, I looked at each school on my list and Alabama was the right one for me. The feeling about Alabama was different than the others.”

Kenneth Simon II

6-foot-2/210 pounds from Brentwood, TN

• No. 7 linebacker in the nation
• No. 6 player in the state of Tennessee
• No. 133 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class (all rankings per 247Sports)

Tennessee was in a weird spot in Simon’s recruitment

The Vols were in a tough spot with Simon, despite the four-star linebacker being a Vol legacy.

Simon’s dad was clear earlier this offseason that his son wasn’t going to play for former Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who was fired after the 2025 season.

“I guess I can say it like this: my son was not going to play for Tim Banks,” said the elder Simon in February. “He just wasn’t. [There was] no identity, and he just wasn’t gonna play for him. I love that Jim Knowles is here. And Tennessee is definitely back in the mix now (for Kenneth Simon) with Jim Knowles’ presence. So I’m really excited about where the defense is going.”

Knowles did a great job of getting Tennessee back in the mix for Simon, but the deep relationship with Alabama’s defensive staff was too much for the Vols to overcome.

You never know what may happen in the future — maybe Simon ends up at Tennessee via the transfer portal down the road — but for now, it looks like the Vol legacy will be saying “Roll Tide” this fall.