Report provides the likely reason behind the Tennessee Vols losing a key 4-star commit

The Tennessee Vols received a rare dose of bad news this week when 2025 four-star offensive lineman Douglas Utu flipped his commitment from UT to Oregon.

Utu, 6-foot-4/317 lbs from Las Vegas, NV, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 69 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. He had been committed to the Vols since late June.

Tennessee has been on fire on the recruiting trail lately, but no one in the college football bats 1.000 when it comes to recruiting. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

One big reason why it didn't work out between Utu and Tennessee is because of the four-star recruit's position preference.

Utu reportedly wants to play offensive tackle at the next level. The Vols, however, preferred Utu on the interior of the offensive line.

According to 247Sports' Blair Angulo, Oregon likes Utu at tackle, which is what helped the Ducks secure his commitment this week.

From 247Sports : And, according to a source, Utu also received some clarity in terms of future positional fit which got this over the line.

Tennessee had pitched him on being a major component on the right side, while the Ducks have been talking to him about playing tackle, which has been a preference for both Utu and the family.

Utu is a good player and he has the talent to be a future NFL player. But the Vols aren't willing to make promises they can't keep. And they just couldn't guarantee Utu that he would play tackle. Tennessee's coaches are wise to trust their evaluations (we'll see down the road if they were correct on this one or not).

The Vols have 23 commits in their 2025 recruiting class after Utu's decommitment. Tennessee's 2025 class is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation.

Related: Peyton Manning explains why one popular request from Tennessee Vols fans is likely never going to happen