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Tennessee Football Dealt Bad News on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nicholas McGee | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 2:32 PM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers hoped to spring a recruiting upset over rivals the Florida Gators, but their prospects of them doing so have vanished after G'Nivre Carr made a decision on his commitment.

The Ocala, Florida native was heavily recruited out of IMG Academy as the 39th overall interior offensive lineman in the 2026 class, per On3's Industry Rankings.

However, any team hoping to sway him away from staying in-state with the Gators was always facing an uphill battle.

The Volunteers were given the best chance, with On3 putting their odds of landing his recruitment at 22.3%.

But Carr dealt them bad news on Sunday, as he made the anticipated the decision by committing to Florida, per On3's Hayes Fawcett on X.

"Once a Gator, always a Gator! Proud to be a Gator," Carr said, per Fawcett.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 IOL G’Nivre Carr has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’5 315 IOL from Ocala, FL chose the Gators over Tennessee, Georgia, & Alabama

“Once a Gator, always a Gator! Proud to be a Gator 5=1”https://t.co/v1YCSVdm6H pic.twitter.com/9qAoQmQnHo
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 1, 2025

With eight commits to this point, On3 ranks Tennessee's 2026 class as the 12th-best in the country.

The Volunteers, though, have earned the commitment of just one offensive lineman to this point, landing Gabriel Osenda, a four-star out of Clearwater, Florida.

Five-star quarterback Brandon Faizon from Greensboro, North Carolina is the jewel of Tennessee's 2026 class. For him to succeed, though, the Vols will need a strong offensive line.

On3 rates the Volunteers as the heavy favorites to land three-star IOL Brandon Anderson from Kennesaw, Georgia. After missing out on Carr, they will hope for better luck with Anderson and in the remainder of their efforts to build the trenches in the 2026 class.

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

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