Texas is now officially a new member of the storied SEC as of July 1.

Since Josh Heupel took the Tennessee job, the Vols have battled the Longhorns in several recruitments.

VolReport takes a look at the battles that ended with one of the two teams ultimately winning out in the recruitment.

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When Isaiah Neyor entered the transfer portal from Wyoming, he quickly became one of the most attractive players available. A lot of teams jumped in the mix early, including Tennessee, and he would eventually commit to the Vols.

As the recruiting process continued, however, the Longhorns made a deep push and managed to flip the Texas native. He has since transferred to Nebraska.

As the coaching staff looked to announce their presence on the recruiting trail, Jordan Matthews pickup was an impressive win to boast on the trail. As LSU waited too long, there was a window of opportunity for other teams to enter the mix, and both Tennessee and Texas did just that, with the recruitment coming down to the two powers.

Going into his commitment date, most people had him pegged to choose the Longhorns, but the pick ended up being Tennessee.

Tennessee brought in a noteworthy linebacker class in 2022 and one part of that was Jalen Smith. At the storied Grayson High School (Ga.), he rewrote the record books and would get looks from all over the country.

In the end, he chose Tennessee and will be entering his second season this year.

While maybe not a head-to-head win, Tennessee swiped offensive lineman Andrej Karic from Texas last offseason.

Karic was a sixth offensive lineman of sorts for the Longhorns during his time there. Once he got to Tennessee, he became the starting left guard before battling with injuries. He is in a competition for the job this offseason.

Ryan Wingo was one of the best playmakers in the entire country last recruiting class and both Tennessee and Texas would've loved to have him.

While Tennessee made a strong push in the process, Wingo ultimately chose the Longhorns, giving Texas a dynamic receiver to build around as they enter the SEC.

Jerrick Gibson was on the recruiting radar for a while, earning the top schools in the country's interest while at IMG Academy (FL), including both featured programs.

Texas went all-in on the tailback and was able to add the playmaker.

This recruiting class has had a couple of battles between the two teams of its own. The main battle was with defensive lineman Ethan Utley, who chose Tennessee over Texas.

The in-state defensive lineman is an athletic and powerful presence up front and is expected to have a high impact in his career at the next level.

In terms of uncommitted prospects, one player quickly comes to mind. Top-25 recruit and four-star receiver Jaime Ffrench has visited several places this season and that list of programs includes Tennessee and Texas.

Ffrench hasn't ruled out returning to Knoxville for another visit at the end of July, but right now Texas is thought of to be in that top group for the dynamic playmaker.

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