While there’s still buzz around the closing months of the 2025 recruiting class, Tennessee made positive progress on one of the most important 2026 recruitments on Monday afternoon.
According to a report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett, blue-chip prospect Lamar Brown included Tennessee in a Top 12 on Monday alongside three other SEC programs.
Brown’s Top 12 include LSU, Tulane, UCF, Texas A&M, Michigan, Ole Miss, Miami, Tennessee, Alabama, Southern Cal, Florida State, and Houston.
Brown is a legitimate two-way player in the trenches for University Lab in Baton Rouge, LA, and is ranked on both sides of the football with different recruiting sites. Either way you spin it, though, Brown is a top-ranked recruit.
Brown ranks as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 cycle according to ESPN, 247, and On3, while Rivals‘ services have Brown as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the class. All four publications have Brown as a Top 15 overall player in the class with On3 and ESPN classifying him as high as the No. 5 overall player. ESPN has Brown as a five-star while the other three list him as a four-star.
Brown plays into his two-way ability at the high school level on social media, with “[Five-Star] VERSATILE LINEMAN – #1 OT in the Nation – #1 DT in the Nation” leading off his biography caption on X.
“Talented two-way lineman who made an impact as a freshman for a brand-name Louisiana high school program,” 247’s Gabe Brooks wrote about Brown during the 2023 season. “Could legitimately play either side of the line of scrimmage in the long run, but projects particularly well as an offensive tackle/lineman. Owns requisite height and good length at an early stage of development with a lean build and ample frame space. Plays with fury.”
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound versatile lineman is also well-accomplished in another sport at University Lab. According to 247, Brown “placed second in the Louisiana 3A shot put finals with a 50-4 in May 2023” as just a freshman.
Tennessee obviously has a solid defensive recruiting pitch with longtime veteran assistant coach Rodney Garner. The Vols’ defensive line coach has been a major factor in many of Tennessee’s toughest recruiting battles and is consistently looked at as one of the top defensive line coaches in the country. The Vols also have an offensive pitch pointing to the recent success of Darnell Wright as a Top 10 draft pick in 2023 and more draft picks after the turnover following the 2024 season. Tennessee has won a few big offensive line battles for the 2025 class recently and hope to land the big fish with David Sanders Jr. in August.
While it is very early in his recruiting cycle, Brown has made a few visits already, though mainly close to home in Baton Rouge. Brown has been to LSU on five occasions while also taking a visit to Alabama and Georgia.
Though still early, it’s hard not to believe the hometown LSU Tigers aren’t the leading program for Brown but there’s still plenty of time left and teams in the hunt.
Here’s a look at Brown’s two-way highlights from his sophomore season in 2023:
