Published Jun 11, 2025
COMMIT ALERT: 2026 3-star SAF KJ McClain commits to Tennessee football
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Shayne Pickering  â€¢  VolReport
Football Recruiting Reporter
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Tennessee football program has added its first commitment of the summer with three-star safety KJ McClain committing to the Vols after a strong official visit weekend.

He found the feeling of family over the course of the official visit while developing relationships with Josh Heupel and the coaching staff.

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Coming out of the official visit, the theme of what McClain said he was looking for in a school always revolved around the idea of family-style relationships and seeing Josh Heupel, the head coach, interact the way he did for the entire weekend with everyone in the building allowed for the new commit to believe Tennessee could provide that for him.

"Coach Heup being around. I'm big on relationships and seeing the head coach caring and being around the guys is really something that I value. I am a family guy," he told VolReport.

The coaching staff has preferred versatile defensive backs that can move around the secondary when recruiting the secondary and they have let McClain know they believe he fits that mold as well.

"They see me at any position (in the secondary). I believe I can play any position on the field, so I'm coming as a DB and not just a safety. You want to be versatile," said McClain. "I really think I could play all five positions, and they think that too, so I really like that."

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The new commit projects best as a safety or at the star position where he can make plays on the ball. During his junior season, he recorded 50 tackles while forcing a handful of turnovers after transferring to St. Joseph's.

KJ McClain is the first defensive back commit of the 2026 recruiting class for Tennessee and ninth overall.

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