Recruiting analyst thinks good news is coming for the Tennessee Vols on Saturday

247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy thinks the Tennessee Vols are going to get some good news on Saturday.

2025 four-star defensive back Lagonza Hayward is set to announce his commitment on Saturday (July 27). His finalists are Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The Vols have long been viewed as the favorites for Hayward, though Georgia and South Carolina made things interesting in this battle at one point.

Loy, however, still thinks it'll be Tennessee for Hayward.

"Early on, all signs pointed toward the Volunteers to get this one done," said Loy . "Then things started swinging in favor of the in-state Georgia Bulldogs, and everybody assumed Kirby Smart was going to land yet another Top 100 talent on the defensive side of the ball in the Peach State. However, just a few days away from his commitment, my 247Sports Crystal Ball is on Tennessee , and I think good news is coming for Josh Heupel and his staff."

Hayward, 6-foot-1/200 lbs from Lyons, GA, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 safety in the nation and the No. 11 player in the state of Georgia. He's also rated as the No. 82 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.

Landing Hayward over Georgia, specifically, would be another massive recruiting win for the Vols.

Over the last year, Tennessee has been enjoying a significant amount of success in the Peach State. Georgia still pretty much gets the in-state players that they want, but the Vols have managed to steal a couple that the Bulldogs badly wanted to land (like five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews in 2024 and four-star wide receiver Travis Smith, a current Vols commit, last month).

I don't think the Bulldogs are in panic mode because of the Vols' recent success in Georgia, but there's no doubt that Kirby Smart has taken notice of Tennessee's recruiting efforts. And I'm sure he's not thrilled about it.

Related: Josh Heupel says one characteristic of the Tennessee Vols in 2024 is so obvious that 'Ray Charles can see it'