Ad Disclosure
Tennessee lands 2026 commitment from in-state tackle during All-American Bowl
Published:
Tennessee got a huge lift to its offensive line for 2026, as in-state offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda committed to stay close to home and play for the Volunteers.
Osenda plays at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, and in a few more seasons he’ll be heading down the road to Knoxville to play for Josh Heupel and Tennessee. Osenda wanted to make his commitment dramatic, too, by announcing it during the Navy All-American Bowl on Saturday in San Antonio. Osenda picked Tennessee over SEC rival Florida as well as Georgia, South Carolina, and Minnesota.
“After all the visits it just started to feel like home and the place I need to be at,” Osenda told Sports Illustrated regarding his decision to stay in the state of Tennessee.
Osenda added that Heupel and Volunteers offensive line coach Glen Elarbee were big factors in his final decision. Osenda made a pair of game-day visits to Knoxville during this past season, including taking in the Volunteers’ games against Florida and Kentucky.
The 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle is a 3-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s ranked as the No. 10 recruit from the state of Tennessee and the No. 32 tackle in the class. Overall, he sits at No. 380 in the national player rankings.
He becomes the eighth known recruit to join Tennessee’s 2026 class.
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.
