Josh Heupel's 2023 Tennessee football recruiting class has more in-state signees than in recent years

Knoxville Catholic's Trevor Duncan made a dream come true when he signed with Tennessee football on Wednesday. He won’t be alone as he joins more local talent at UT than there has been in recent years.

Duncan, the No. 22 player in the state and the No. 51 athlete in the country, is one member of a No. 9-rated recruiting class, according to 247Sports, that features more Tennessee natives than in the last two seasons.

In the 2022 and 2021 recruiting classes, the Vols had two high school players come from Tennessee each season. In the 2023 class so far, six of the 15 players who signed during the early period to the Vols are Tennessee natives, including the top two players in the state in edge rusher Caleb Herring and linebacker Arion Carter.

The class also includes Karns' DeSean Bishop, who announced his commitment to the Vols, but was not part of the program's 2023 announced signing class. It is not yet clear if he is on athletic scholarship or that he simply hasn't been admitted to the university yet.

In the 2022 class, the highest-rated player in the state who committed to Tennessee was ranked No. 15 (Elijah Herring of Riverdale) and in the 2021 class, the highest player was ranked No. 8 (Walker Merrill of Brentwood), according to 247Sports Composite.

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“I think that’s huge recruiting in state," Duncan said. "I think fans will love that too. I think that’s always important for building a really good program.”

Duncan has already spoken with fellow incoming in-state athletes such as Herring. So far, Duncan is the closest with offensive tackle Ayden Bussell from Mt. Juliet who he has seen multiple times on visits.

A major factor in Duncan's decision was the coaching staff that is under second-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, specifically defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

“If you look at (Garner's) history and what he’s done with defensive linemen, it’s crazy," Duncan said. "He’ll definitely help develop me I think better than anyone else would.”

Prior to joining Heupel’s staff in 2021, Garner was the associate head coach and defensive line coach for Auburn. In 2019, Auburn’s defense ranked eighth nationally in both red-zone and third-down defense.

Tennesee (10-2) is at the tail end of one of its best seasons in recent memory. On Dec. 30, the Vols will play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson. The Vols' success as of late has made them an even more appealing destination for a Knoxville native such as Duncan to arrive on campus and contribute to winning.

“It just makes me more excited that I’m going to play for a team like that," Duncan said. "It gets me super hyped up.”

Jason Surlas, Knoxville Catholic athletic director, said that he is not surprised Duncan wants to join a program that is in the midst of great success.

"Coach Heupel has brought a tremendous excitement, he's brought back winning," Surlas said. "I can't think of a better time to sign with UT than right now."

Duncan received his official offer from the Vols the summer before his junior year in 2021 and committed to the Vols in April of this year. Duncan will not early enroll and will report to campus in late May. He will be the fifth Knoxville Catholic football player on Tennessee's current roster.