Keshawn Stancil Narrows Recruitment

Clayton High School defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil (Clayton, N.C.) narrowed his recruitment to seven schools, including the Tennessee Volunteers.

Clayton High School defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil has been hearing a lot from the Tennessee Volunteers for the course of his recruitment. The coaching staff has zeroed in on him as one of their top targets on the defensive front in the 2026 cycle and got him on campus last weekend to watch spring practice.

Stancil enjoyed his time in Knoxville, Tennessee, and continues treating the Vols with as much attention as they give him. "If you go anywhere in Knoxville, you'll see the T," Stancil told Volunteer Country's Caleb Sisk after the visit. "That T doesn't just stand for Tennessee, it stands for Tennessee football, so it's just different."

Several other programs continue to swing big here. Georgia, Miami, and Penn State get him to campus in April before his swing of official visits. Auburn, Miami, North Carolina State, and Penn State all have official visits scheduled with Stancil, but Tennessee and several others are still jockeying in his recruitment. On Saturday, Stancil cut his list to seven schools: Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami, North Carolina State, Penn State, and Tennessee. We'll see if he still plans to take his Auburn visit.

The Vols are in line to get an official visit at some point, as Stancil told Sisk that he had a specific request for the coaching staff on his official visit. "I told them the one thing I want is to hear the band play 'Rocky Top' at least once or twice. If that's not checked off on my OV check board, then I'll be pretty upset, but I'm sure they will make that happen for me."

Stancil measures in at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He ranks as the No. 205 prospect and No. 20 defensive lineman in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.