The beginning of the year has been too much of a chaos for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers. While players started to fall like dominoes, Heupel had to make a tough call with his quarterback. When Nico Iamaleava pressurized them for a $4 million NIL check, the head coach did not think twice before pulling the brakes. And his gamble paid off.

Heupel was lucky enough to fill Iamaleava’s spot with Joey Aguilar. Does that mean everything looks sorted in the Vols’ camp? No, they are moving into 2025 on a wagon with shaky wheels. But so what? That did not stop Heupel from bolstering his 2026 roster. As per On3’s 2026 recruiting list, Tennessee is yet to make it to the Top 10 list and is standing at No.14 with 16 recruits. However, June has been a happening month for Heupel and co.  

As per the On3 reports, Tennessee has hunted down six recruits last month. Out of which, four commitments came in a span of 48 hours, including KJ McClain and Luke Thompson. McClain was the first commitment of the month on June 11. The 6-foot, 165-pounder from St. Joseph Regional High School is rated as the No. 607 player overall and the No. 46 overall safety in the 2026 class. He has been pursued by a dozen other schools, including Michigan State. However, Heupel won the race. “It kind of just hit me, you know? I knew what I want. I just had to go take the opportunity,” McClain said after the commitment. 

The next one for the Vols squad came with safety Luke Thompson on June 14th. He played for Franklin High School and thought of giving Heupel a chance because of the numerous family ties to Tennessee. His uncle lives in Knoxville, his dad was a decathlete at Tennessee, and his mom was an all-American and SEC Champion distance runner. After the dual snatch, Heupel was in no mood to hit the ‘SNOOZE’ button.

In the fifth week, the Tennessee head coach went full throttle on the recruiting trail. On June 27, they landed back-to-back commits EDGE Kedric Golston II and interior offensive lineman Edward Baker. Even though the 3-star EDGE rusher Golston II is the son of former Georgia defensive tackle Kedric Golston, he chose to board Heupel’s wagon. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Baker from Baltimore closed doors to Ole Miss and Arkansas and committed to the Vols squad.

The very next day came with two more surprises for Heupel. Tennessee hunted down ATH Legend Bey and cornerback Zaydyn Anderson on June 28. Heupel added a 4-star to their quarterback room with Bey, who committed over Texas A&M, Duke, and West Virginia. Heupel also succeeded in wooing in-state wide receiver target Anderson, beating Cincinnati and Toledo out of the race. While the 2026 class has gained momentum, Heupel has some cracks to fill when it comes to the Vols’ 2025 class.  

A freshman-heavy foundation of Josh Heupel’s 2025 class

Joel Klatt came up with a bitter reality check for Tennessee. “I didn’t love the whole Nico Iamaleava saga. So, Tennessee fans, where do we sit with Josh Heupel? I think it’s, ‘I like you, but’ … like, we don’t have a quarterback anymore, and what are we doing?” The analyst pointed a finger at Heupel’s players’ roster, which has started to crumble. Well, Klatt was not the only one to be doubtful about the Vols’ 2025 ride. 247’s Patrick Brown joined him.

The analyst shared, “They’ve lost most probably half of that ’23 class, the Nico class. I think half of those guys have gone, and that of all their portal departures this offseason, most of them have been from that class. Now, a lot of those guys hadn’t played yet, but through two years, that’s sort of a spot where you know if guys aren’t playing, they kind of realize I need to go somewhere where I can play. But they’ve kept the entire 24 class here and obviously certainly the 2025 class here.” Heupel’s 2025 class is dominated by players who are freshmen. They no longer have players with six or seven years of experience.

Josh Heupel must be riding high with confidence, counting high on his new quarterback, Joey Aguilar. However, Aguilar’s stats are not that promising either. He lost all his glitz and glamor after his breakout 2023 showing at Appalachian State. With six new commits added in June alone, including a pair of back-to-back pledges to close out the month, Tennessee’s 2026 class is steadily taking shape.