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Oak Ridge tight end Malik Howard commits to Tennessee football

Tennessee football defended its home turf by landing Oak Ridge standout Malik Howard, one of the top tight ends in the 2027 class.

Howard announced his commitment to the Vols in an Instagram post during his recruiting visit on June 6. They beat out Alabama, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt among other Power 4 programs.

Howard, a 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, is a four-star recruit. He is ranked the No. 11 tight end and No. 215 prospect overall in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports Composite.

He received dozens of scholarship offers as a prime target for most of the SEC and other Power 4 programs. But Tennessee aggressively pursued him to continue their focus on pass-catching tight ends.

In his 2025 junior season, Howard had 53 receptions for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns, almost doubling his sophomore year production. He was an All-PrepXtra second team selection and helped push Oak Ridge to a 9-2 record in the Wildcats' first season in Class 6A football.

Tennessee football commitments in 2027 class

The early signing period is Dec. 2-4, 2026.

Howard is the 10th commitment in Tennessee’s 2027 recruiting class.

In-state players top the list. Howard, Brentwood Academy tight end Kesean Bowman and Siegel offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo are four-star prospects, according to the 247Sports Composite. Defensive lineman Kadin Fife (Summerville, Georgia) is also rated four stars.

Cornerback Brandon Leavell (Goodpasture), safety Jaden Butler (Haywood), linebacker JP Peace (Maryville), quarterback Derrick Baker (Alpharetta, Georgia) and cornerback Carter Jamison (Fairburn, Georgia) are three-star prospects. Long snapper Sam McKeown is also committed, but doesn't have a star rating on 247Sports Compositie. They round out the early commitments.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Oak Ridge tight end Malik Howard commits to Tennessee football

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