Four-star ATH commits to Tennessee because Vols made him feel like a 'top guy'

Joel Wyatt is one of the top athlete recruits in the country. He's also one of the top football players from the state of Tennessee.

As such, the four-star from Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Oakland High School) has been a top target for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers for some time now. The Vols made him an offer way back in May 2024, and he's visited Rocky Top several times since then  — including an official visit this past June.

It all led up to a decision for Wyatt, and Tennessee was the natural choice for him because the Vols did the work on the recruiting trail to make sure he felt wanted.

Wyatt committed to Tennessee on Monday over the likes of LSU, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.

“Tennessee made me feel like a top guy from the beginning,” Wyatt told Chad Simmons of Rivals. “Coach Heupel, Coach Chop (Levorn Harbin) and a lot of the coaches recruited me hard and showed me I was a top guy for them. That always meant a lot to me. They made me feel wanted and that never changed.”

A little bit of attention on the recruiting trail can go a long way, and Heupel and his staff will now reap the rewards when it comes to Wyatt. 

Checking in at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Wyatt can play wide receiver or defensive back at the second level. That's why he's ranked as the No. 5 athlete in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

With that said, Tennessee was initially recruiting Wyatt to be an outside linebacker, but now they seem to like him as a safety recruit, per Simmons.

Either way, he's ranked as the No. 2 player from the state and a top-50 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He's also seemingly all-in with the Volunteers.

"It was always like being around family," he said of his visits to Rocky Top. "The little things at Tennessee that always stand out. The people, the culture, how they treat me and what it is like to be there make it different for me. The culture at Tennessee always made me comfortable.”