Josh Heupel and Tennessee have proven over and over again that there are a few states that the Vols plan to recruit – and recruit hard.
Mississippi is one of those states, and the Vols are continuing to attack that state.
2026 Ocean Springs (Miss.) athlete Sharroid Whitehead is an underclassman that many need to circle and remember the name of, as he is picking up a lot of buzz on the recruiting front.
"It's (the recruiting process) going great," Whitehead told VolReport.
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VolReport dives in a bit deeper to find out more about Whitehead's recruitment and a specific recent offer.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound playmaker already holds a bit more than a handful of offers. Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia Tech and UCLA are among the early offers for the 10th-grade stud.
"A lot of schools have been reaching out," Whitehead told VolReport. "As of right now, Penn State is showing crazy love and trying to get me up there as soon as possible."
If some of the mentioned schools are already contacting the young star, the offer list will not only grow in overall number – but also in terms of big-name schools pursuing him.
"Alabama, Ohio State and Texas A&M have been showing a lot of love to me and are most likely going to offer me after this season," Whitehead said.
Recently, Whitehead received a stunning offer from Tennessee – which blew him away.
"I just got the offer that I have wanted all summer," he said in regards to receiving the news from the Vols.
"When I got the Tennessee offer, I was at a loss for words," Whitehead said. "I was just starstruck because who wouldn't want to play on Rocky Top?"
As Whitehead is listed as an athlete, it appears that the Vols are early evaluating the 2026 prospect as a running back as Jerry Mack and Kirk Norwood are both on the trail and "they love my speed," according to Whitehead.
Coach Mack, the running backs coach for Tennessee, seems very intrigued and impressed with the current status and potential for Whitehead.
"He loves what I can do with the ball in my hands everywhere on the field. He also says I fit the explosive Tennessee offense," Whitehead said. "I could see myself in the offense because I'm an explosive guy myself, plus I can play anywhere, so I feel like I would be a great fit."
This recruitment has a good way to go before it is anywhere near finished, but the Vols have themselves in a great position. One of the first 10 schools to offer, and with their brand of offense, had already been noticed by this prospect as Tennessee is the school he had waited for all summer.
Now, what does Tennessee do from here?
"I just wanna hear them winning. ... Some good talks from the fans and the coaches," Whitehead said."
It seems that Whitehead is going to help much of that come true as he already has some goals for this fall when it comes to college visits. There is nothing set in stone between the Mississippi native and Tennessee just yet, but that should work itself out very soon as Whitehead is certainly ready for a trip to Knoxville.
"I will most definitely be on Rocky Top soon," he said.
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