Tennessee beats out SEC rivals for commitment from 4-star DL
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Tennessee earned a huge recruiting victory for the 2027 season with Friday’s commitment of 4-star defensive lineman Kadin Fife.
Fife told On3 on Friday afternoon of his decision to play at Tennessee, picking the Volunteers over SEC rivals Auburn and Texas A&M. Also in the mix for Fife was Georgia Tech, which couldn’t beat out Tennessee for Fife despite him being from Summerville, Ga.
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound prize posted a message on social media after telling On3 of his commitment.
“I’m home Rocky Top LLD,” wrote Fife.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Fife is the 282nd-ranked player from the Class of 2027. He’s ranked 32nd among defensive linemen in the class and is the 33rd-ranked player from the state of Georgia.
But Fife won’t be staying in the state of Georgia to start his college career, opting to head to Knoxville and join Josh Heupel‘s program. Fife’s commitment is Tennessee’s 4th in its 2027 recruiting class and 3rd commitment on the defensive side of the ball, although it’s the Vols’ first defensive line commit. With Fife’s commitment, Tennessee’s 2027 recruiting class now ranks 13th, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Tennessee initially made an offer to Fife in March of 2025, which was followed by 2 visits on campus by Fife during the spring. Fife also visited once this fall for the showdown against Georgia, and he returned to campus earlier this week to tell Tennessee staff that he had picked the Volunteers.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
