Tennessee football has added a member to its 2026 recruiting class.

The Vols have just landed three-star athlete CJ Edwards. It is likely he'll be used as an edge rusher with Tennessee.

He is out of St. Joseph's in Metuchen, New Jersey. He ranks as the No. 7 player in the state and No. 18 athlete in the class.

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Edwards currently stands at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds as he enters his senior season with St. Joseph's. This gives him a solid frame once arriving in Knoxville to be developed by defensive line coach Rodney Garner and Levorn 'Chop' Harbin.

The defender will be on campus for an official visit this summer, too. On Feb. 21, he announced his intention for the visit scheduled for June 21.

He also held offers from the likes of Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and West Virginia before picking the Vols.

He is now the eighth member of the 2026 class for Tennessee.

Edwards is the third three-star of the group along with four four-stars and a five-star in quarterback Faizon Brandon.

The overall class ranks as the No. 4 group in the country and the second best in the SEC. The only in-conference team it trails is Texas A&M.

Edwards is the third defensive member of the group. He joins four-star defensive end Tyson Bacon and three-star linebacker Braylon Outlaw. Both of these UT commits have received attention outside the program but have stayed true to their commitment so far.

Edwards is also the first pickupfor Tennessee in the class outside the southern footprint. All other commits are either in-state or from North Carolina or Alabama.

The Vols aren't unfamiliar with New Jersey, though. In the 2025 cycle, Tennessee landed another defensive edge rusher in Jayden Loftin from the Garden State.

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