Tennessee Football's Latest Recruit Lagonza Hayward
On Saturday morning head football coach Josh Heupel received more great recruiting news as four star safety Lagonza Hayward from Lyons, Ga. committed to the Volunteers.
Hayward is rated as a top 75 prospect in next year's class. On3 Recruits ranks him as the fourth best safety in the country for the 2025 class. He stands 6'1 and is 205. The primary competition for his commitment was with Georgia and Florida so this is another huge win for Heupel and his staff on the recruiting front.
Most recruiting services have the Volunteers class rated in the top ten in the country. After committing Saturday, Hayward sang 'Rocky Top' on social media with his family and also boldly stated that the Vols would have a top 5 class, predicting that several highly recruits would flip from being committed to other schools to the Vols.
He also mentioned that he and all the other recruits are working heavily on David Sanders, Jr., the biggest remaining target on the board for Heupel. Sanders, a lineman from North Carolina, is considered by many to be the top recruit in the country. Sanders has set his commitment day for August 17th.
Other notable upcoming commitments by top players considering Tennessee are offensive tackle Juan Gaston on August 2, five star offensive tackle Josh Petty on August 12, and cornerback Onis Konanbanny on August 15. The number one quarterback in the 2026 class, Faizon Brandon, is also set to commit on August 3 with Heupel and the Vols being very much in the picture.
This is back to back years that Heupel has reeled in a top player to help on the back end of the defense as the 2024 class included former Chattanooga area star Boo Carter who is expected to contribute as a freshman.
Hayward is the 19th commitment in the 2025 class for Tennessee football which included five star quarterback George MacIntyre and ten other recruits rated as being four stars.
Stay tuned to Chattanoogan.com for more Tennessee football recruiting updates.