Tennessee Vols becoming a factor for elite 4-star CB from California

It looks like the Tennessee Vols are becoming a factor for an elite 2026 cornerback.

Four-star cornerback RJ Sermons told On3 this week that Tennessee is one of the programs that's "up there" in his recruitment, along with Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, USC, and Washington. Sermons mentioned to On3 that Tennessee moved up in his recruitment over the summer months.

“Once schools could contact me directly, Tennessee has been in communication with me a lot," said Sermons to On3 of his interest in the Vols. "We were on the phone recently. I’ve really been building a relationship with them.”

Sermons, 6-foot/185 lbs from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 4 cornerback in the nation and the No. 5 player in the state of California. He's also rated as the No. 38 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

It could be tough for Tennessee to convince Sermons to leave the west coast for college -- especially since his dad, Rodney, was a running back at USC in the mid 90's.

Sermons, however, hinted to On3 that he'd prefer to play in the SEC because of the competition.

“That’s the closest college competition to the NFL,” said Sermons about the SEC. “If you can get into the best conference, that would be great.”

Sermons said he's leaning toward committing after his junior season ends.

Related: Rutgers HC Greg Schiano started the 2024 season off by angering former Tennessee Vols assistant coach