Tennessee beats out Arkansas, others to keep RB Asa Barnes in state

The Tennessee Volunteers have landed three-star running back Asa Barnes from Martin, Tennessee.

Barnes is a 5-foot-11, 200-pounder who is ranked as the No. 36 running back in the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's also the No. 22 player from the state of Tennessee, so this is a big recruiting win for Josh Heupel and the Vols.

Heupel and his staff offered Barnes in June of 2025 when he was on an unofficial visit. From that point on, the Vols were consistent with the in-state running back, and now they're reaping the rewards with his commitment.

Asa Barnes discusses committing to Tennessee

“It’s been ever since that first workout I went down there to a couple years ago,” Barnes told Rivals. “Ever since then, they’ve been incredibly consistent. That’s one thing you look for in a team. The official visit topped it off for me in June, but they’ve been consistent the whole time. I felt like this is where I wanted to be, so I pulled the trigger.”

Arkansas, Florida State, and USC were also in the running, but it was Heupel's vision for Barnes that really sold him. Per the three-star, the coach put it all out there during the official visit in mid-June.