Tennessee football is in the final five schools for a cornerback that's about to come off the board.

Nick Hankins Jr., a three-star corner out of Illinois, will announce his commitment on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

He is choosing between the Vols, Iowa, Ole Miss, Missouri and Illinois.

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Hankins is the No. 10 player out of Illinois and the No. 38 cornerback in the class.

According to Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Greg Smith, he may be staying at home to play with the Illini.

"Nick Hankins announces on Thursday and it seems to be down to Illinois versus Missouri for his pledge," Smith said. "There could be a late surprise but the Illini should feel confident here."

Hankins was at Tennessee for a game day visit on Nov. 23, 2024, to watch the Vols dismantle UTEP. UT won 56-0 in the game.

He connected with seconary coach Willie Martinez during his time on campus.

The Vols currently holds 10 commitments in the 2026 class. This is good for the No. 28 group in the country to this point.

The group is headlined by five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon who is the top signal caller in the cycle and No. 2 overall player.

Tyreek King is knocking on the door of five-star status, but currently sits as a highly-ranked four-star.

Other four-stars committed to this point are tight end Carson Sneed, offensive lineman Gabriel Osenda and edge rusher Zach Groves.

Three-stars in the boat are edge rusher CJ Edwards, linebacker Braylon Outlaw, wide receiver Tyran Evans and the most recent addition, safety KJ McClain. On Saturday morning, unranked athlete Luke Thompson joined, as well.

In 2027, Tennessee just landed the commitment of three-star local linebacker JP Peace.

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