Tennessee still in it for four-star WR Carnell Tate?

As we all know in recruiting, an early summertime commitment doesn’t exactly mean that the battle over. That might just be the case with Carnell Tate. The 20th ranked prospect in the country picked Ohio State over Tennessee when it came time to decide, but is this case closed?

According to On3’s Chad Simmons, there’s some ‘chatter’ that Tate and the Tennessee staff have been in communication, perhaps opening the door for a potential flip.

Here’s Simmons’ quote on the situation.

“At one time, I thought Carnell Tate was a Tennessee lean, but went back to Ohio State late before committing to the Buckeyes earlier this summer. I don’t think he is done just yet. There’s some chatter, some buzz behind the scenes that the communication has picked back up with the coaching staff in Knoxville.

The 6-2, 185 pound prospect was considered one of Tennessee’s top targets in the 2023 class, especially after the commitment of five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava has been working to get Tate to Knoxville since, and that work hasn’t stopped even after Tate’s announced commitment to the Buckeyes.

Tennessee has since added four-star hybrid weapon Cameron Seldon. Ohio State, on the other hand, has two five-star receivers ranked ahead of Tate in its class. Brandon Inniss and Noah Rogers also committed to Ryan Day and Brian Hartline — perhaps that gives Josh Heupel and Kelsey Pope an angle to go for a flip.

There was a time where Tennessee was viewed as the frontrunner for Tate, but Ohio State came on strong in June to secure a commitment. Simmons finished by saying that this door isn’t completely closed, and to ‘keep an eye on the Tennessee Vols.’

“Tennessee is in this, and they were in one time viewed, in my opinion, as the frontrunner. He’s committed to Ohio State, and they’re now the leader. But keep an eye on the Tennessee Vols.”

Tennessee currently has the 11th ranked class in the country, per 247Sports. They’re up to 21 commitments before the season begins. Remember this battle as we go through the fall, and we’ll see if Iamaleava and the coaching staff can sway him before the December signing period.