The Tennessee football team had been receiving only positive recruiting news, but now they received a bad one. The Vols had long expressed interest in 4-star running back Jonaz Walton because of his explosive playmaking ability.
But this week, Walton revealed that he has committed to Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman, ending his recruitment. It was assumed, however, that Walton would still think about making his scheduled official trips, including one to Knoxville, given the way recruiting operates these days. That will not be the case:
4-star RB Jonaz Walton has canceled his official visit to Tennessee
For the Vols and head coach Josh Heupel, this is undoubtedly a bit of a setback. On June 20, Walton was scheduled to take his official to Knoxville, a trip that many on campus were looking forward to. However, Walton is now 100 % locked in with the Irish.
It makes sense that this news would make Heupel and his crew feel a little down. According to the 247Sports Composite, Walton is rated four stars, the ninth-best running back in the nation, and the 125th best player in the 2026 class. Among many other schools, he chose Notre Dame over Stanford, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Heupel still has other speedsters high on his list as running back, so don’t worry about missing out on Walton stings. Naturally, Savion Hiter, the nation’s top running back and a 5-star prospect, is on the list. Hiter will be visiting on June 20 and is quite fond of the Vols.
Hiter will also be bringing officials to Ohio State, Georgia, and Michigan, so Tennessee will have fierce competition to get him. With 5-star running back Faizon Brandon headed to campus for the upcoming season, it would be an absolute dream if Hiter committed to the Vols. Is it possible to envision Brandon and Hiter together? Everyone can mark Walton off their list of prospective 2026 running backs who will sign with UT, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
