Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols score a significant offseason win over Alabama and Georgia on Saturday night

The Tennessee Vols picked up a major recruiting win on Saturday night over two of their biggest rivals, and right in the back yard of one of them.

2025 Westlake (Atlanta, GA) WR Travis Smith, Jr. committed to the Vols over the Crimson Tide, Bulldogs, and Auburn Tigers, per On3 Sports' Hayes Fawcett.

It's no small thing that the Vols went into Georgia and nabbed a player of Smith's caliber.  Smith is listed as the #81 overall prospect in the country by On3 Sports' industry rankings, as well as the #12 overall receiver and #11 overall player in Georgia.  It's even more noteworthy that they pulled the four-star recruit from the Peach State, as On3 notes that former Georgia Bulldogs standout Terrance Edwards had been training him.

However, it appears that, according to Jeremy Johnson of Dawgs HQ , the loss of former Georgia WR coach Bryan McClendon to the NFL might have been a factor in the Bulldogs' chances in the race.  That said, you still have to give Josh Heupel and WR coach Kelsey Pope a lot of credit for securing the talented wideout's pledge.

Smith also held offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Oregon, Ole Miss, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Arkansas, and many others.  The commitment puts the Vols' 2025 recruiting class up to 17 total commitments, with On3 ranking the Vols' class as #13 in the country.

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