KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football received the National Letter of Intent from defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins of Bordentown, New Jersey, as head coach Josh Heupel ended the first day of the regular signing period with a top 15 recruiting class.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the #eVOLution22 class was ranked No. 12 by Rivals.com, No. 15 by 247Sports.com and No. 15 by On3.com. The class comes one year after the arrival of Heupel, who guided the Volunteers on a remarkable turnaround with seven victories and eight school team records last fall.

Jenkins, out of Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, was a three-star defensive end prospect and considered one of the state’s top 20 overall players. He is one of five defensive linemen as part of the 2022 class, joining a promising list that includes five-star James Pearce of Charlotte, North Carolina; four-star Tyre West of Tifton, Georgia, four-star Joshua Josephs of Kennesaw, Georgia and three-star Jordan Phillips of Orlando, Florida.

In December, the Volunteers announced 20 signees as part of the early period, including 11 on offense and nine on defense. Tennessee also welcomed the addition of Florida offensive lineman transfer Gerald Mincey. Mincey is one of 14 scholarship student-athletes as part of the #eVOLution22 class who enrolled this semester and are participating in offseason workouts.

The Volunteers turn their attention to February workouts. Spring practice dates will be announced at a later date. Tennessee opens the second year of the Heupel era on Sept. 3 against Ball State in Neyland Stadium.

Existing season ticket holders can renew their tickets for the 2022 campaign now by visiting AllVols.com. Fans wishing to purchase new season tickets can do so as well at AllVols.com or by contacting the UT Athletic Ticket Office at (865) 946-7000.

-UT Athletics