Tennessee football is back to poaching some of the best recruits in North Carolina, making Saturday’s game against NC State in Charlotte a perfectly timed event.
“It is a border state,” coach Josh Heupel said on July 30, just before UT landed elite recruits from North Carolina. “We believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.”
It’s an old tradition of the Vols that had its heyday in the late 1980s and 1990s, when North Carolinians like Heath Shuler, Carl Pickens and Jay Graham crossed the state line to become Volunteers.
And that recruiting trail to North Carolina is well-traveled in UT history. Only Georgia has produced more lettermen for Vols football among the eight states that border Tennessee.
Now All-SEC edge rusher James Pearce, a Charlotte native, will lead No. 12 UT (1-0) into his hometown for a game against No. 23 NC State (1-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Bank of America Stadium, where the Carolina Panthers play.
And two of the best recruits in the country will welcome the Vols to their home state after recently committing UT.
Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 class, is from Charlotte. And five-star prospect Faizon Brandon, arguably the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class, is from Greensboro. They're both bound for UT.
“Tennessee has come in and absolutely killed it in our state in terms of recruiting,” said Steven Wright, coach of North Carolina power Cardinal Gibbons in Raleigh.
“It says a lot about Tennessee but also the kids (in North Carolina) because (Tennessee) is getting some of the best players in the country, and they’re coming from our state. Hats off to Josh Heupel.”
NICO IAMALEAVA VS JOE MILTONWhat Vols QB does better than predecessor. It matters vs NC State
How Tennessee regained foothold in North Carolina
In addition to their elite national ranking, Sanders and Brandon are North Carolina’s No. 1 recruit in the next two classes, according to 247Sports Composite. And UT is set to get both.
That’s an important step for the Vols because North Carolina typically touts top-flight talent. But it's the only southeastern state without an SEC school. So players are there for the taking.
The highest-rated recruit in North Carolina in the past five classes went to Auburn, Ohio State, North Carolina (twice) and Clemson.
In the 2019 class, UT got linebacker Quavaris Crouch, the No. 1 North Carolina recruit that year. He transferred to Michigan State in 2021 after Heupel replaced fired UT coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Since then, Heupel’s staff has worked to regain a foothold in the Tar Heel state.
In 2022, UT landed Pearce, a four-star prospect from Chambers High in Charlotte. He has developed into a projected top-10 NFL Draft pick.
In 2023, UT got two of the top three recruits in North Carolina: Four-star defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs, from Concord, and four-star receiver Nathan Leaco*ck, from Milbrook.
Three-star defensive lineman Charles House, from Huntersville, is committed to the Vols in the 2025 class along with Sanders.
“Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham. It’s a hotbed for talent,” said Glenwood Ferebee, who coached Pearce at Chambers and now coaches at Butler High in the Charlotte school district.
“It just doesn’t get the national attention like places in Florida and Texas. North Carolina football is good, but the talent is spread out.”
Heath Shuler and other Vols from North Carolina
After Heupel’s coaches shored up recruiting in Tennessee, they invaded the border states. And it didn’t take long for them to realize UT had a history of snagging coveted recruits from North Carolina.
Among the eight states that border Tennessee, North Carolina touts the second-most lettermen in Vols history, according to the UT media guide.
- Georgia: 197 lettermen, including DB Eric Berry.
- North Carolina: 77, including Shuler.
- Virginia: 72, HB Beattie Feathers and HB Gene McEver.
- Alabama: 72, including QB Condredge Holloway.
- Kentucky: 43, including TE Luke Stocker.
- Mississippi: 22, including DE Will Overstreet.
- Arkansas: 10, including RB Cedric Houston.
- Missouri: 10, including DB DeRon Jenkins.
In addition to Shuler, UT got quarterbacks Jimmy Streater and Jonathan Crompton from North Carolina. Hendon Hooker, although a Virginia Tech transfer, is also from there.
Like Graham, Montario Hardesty, Jaylen Wright and Shawn Bryson, the captain of the 1998 national title team, were UT running backs from North Carolina.
Current NFL players Emmanuel Moseley, Shy Tuttle and Matthew Butler came to UT from North Carolina. So did Pickens and guard Mickey Marvin, both All-Americans.
And about 30 years before Pearce was UT’s dominant pass rusher, North Carolina natives Leonard Little and Shane Burton filled that role. Little spent one year at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College before coming to UT.
Why NC State game could impact Tennessee recruiting
Two of the top players in Saturday’s game – Pearce and All-ACC receiver KC Concepcion for NC State – were high school teammates in Charlotte. NC State running back Hollywood Smothers also played with them at Chambers, located seven miles from Bank of America Stadium.
That trio, which won back-to-back North Carolina state titles, can attest to the talent in Charlotte. And their coach said UT has made its presence known recruiting that area.
“It’s only a four-hour drive from Charlotte to Knoxville, so it’s right in (UT’s) backyard,” Ferebee said. “NC State is two-and-a-half hours from Charlotte, so it’s not much difference.
“Tennessee has done a good job recruiting in North Carolina.”
Head-to-head matchups don’t always impact recruiting. But beating NC State in Charlotte certainly wouldn’t hurt UT’s recruiting momentum in North Carolina.
“The state of North Carolina is really important to us,” Heupel said. “That is how we recruit it. The opportunity that we have in Week 2 playing inside that state is a really unique opportunity as a program.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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