Tennessee Dealt Bad News on Highly Touted Star This Weekend
Tennessee Dealt Bad News on Highly Touted Star This Weekend originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Tennessee Volunteers are pushing for several highly regarded prospects this weekend. But the program can cross one edge rusher off the list.
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On3's Steve Wiltfong wrote Saturday that four-star edge rusher Tristian Givens announced his commitment to the Texas A&M Aggies. Givens made his pledge while on an official visit to College Station, Texas.
Tennessee may have finished as the runner-up for the edge rusher.
"The four-star Givens chose the Aggies over Tennessee and many others. He also strongly considered Florida State and USC," wrote Wiltfong.
It's a significant blow for the Volunteers, who are trying to make a move in the recruiting rankings early this summer. Meanwhile, Texas A&M's 2026 class has vaulted into the No. 2 spot, according to the 247Sports rankings, behind only the USC Trojans.
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel© Adam Cairns-Imagn Images
Based on the 247Sports Composite rankings, Givens is rated the No. 7 edge rusher and No. 6 Georgia prospect in the 2026 class. The same rankings also placed him at No. 61 overall in the entire class.
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'First and foremost you can tell he loves the game,' Givens' high school head coach Jarvis Jones told Wiltfong. 'He's big, fast, he plays the game violently. The way you're supposed to play it. He's athletic, he can move, he can make plays on his feet. He can put his hand in the dirt. I think he's able to play in space and drop in coverage.
'He's a big, fast athlete that can do many things.'
On some recruiting rankings, Given is rated as a five-star prospect.
Tennessee still has just nine commits for the 2026 class. The Volunteers' class is ranked 37th overall according to 247Sports.
Although the Volunteers are off to a better start in 2026 recruiting than the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers, Tennessee has a lot of work to do to catch Texas A&M, along with their top rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators.
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Related: Tennessee Locked in Heated Battle With Michigan, Ohio State for Five-Star Playmaker
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
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