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Tennessee Lands Highly Touted Star Over Michigan, Alabama and Texas

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Arnab Mondal | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 2:43 PM ET

Some things in college football recruiting feel inevitable, like Tennessee making a hard push for one of the Southeast’s top linebackers, or that linebacker falling in love with Knoxville after a few visits. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened this week.

Brayden Rouse, a four-star linebacker from Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, announced his commitment to Tennessee on Tuesday night. He picked the Vols over Texas, Alabama, and Michigan during a school ceremony. Tennessee had been in this fight the longest and eventually closed the deal.

Rouse, listed at 6-foot-2.5 and 220 pounds, is ranked No. 68 overall and the No. 4 linebacker in the 2026 class by 247Sports. He became the 19th commitment in Tennessee’s growing 2026 class and their third projected linebacker. The Vols are building something serious on defense. Rouse joins fellow four-star TJ White and three-star Braylon Outlaw in that linebacker room of the future.

The Vols didn’t waste any time getting in on Rouse. They approached him last August after seeing just one game’s worth of film. His first visit came in October for the Florida game, and since then, Knoxville has been like a second home. He made seven trips, including an official visit in June.

“Every time I come to Tennessee, it’s a great place with a bunch of great people,” Rouse said. “They’ve been consistent since Day One.”

BREAKING: Four-star LB @BraydenRouse8, a top-100 prospect nationally, just announced that he has committed to Tennessee.

Huge win for the Vols, who beat out Texas, Alabama and Michigan for one of their longtime top targets.https://t.co/vZ5UbJ9m44 pic.twitter.com/Hei9Rrwx27
— Ryan Callahan (@RyanCallahan247) July 8, 2025

Linebackers coach William Inge led the charge, with support from Josh Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks. Rouse appreciated how the staff viewed him as more than just a football player. “He’s going to coach me hard, but also teach me life skills,” Rouse said of Inge.

For Tennessee, this is another win in a summer full of them.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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