2027 Oklahoma Safety Drops Shocking Top 12 List, Tennessee Football’s Spot Raises Eyebrows

As the 2027 football recruiting season gathers momentum, Tennessee is making its presence felt in a crowded field of eager contenders. One standout prospect, the four-star safety Semaj Stanford, has just thrown his hat into the ring with a pretty stellar list of his top 12 schools — Tennessee proudly included. Joining the Volunteers in this elite circle are powerhouses like Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others, signaling a fierce battle for one of Oklahoma’s top defensive talents. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Stanford’s skills have already garnered national attention, ranking him sixth among safeties and fourth in his home state. While Tennessee extended its scholarship offer back in May 2025, the young prospect is still weighing his options, having yet to visit the Vols’ campus. With a mixed bag of powerhouse programs vying for his commitment, it’s shaping up to be an intriguing recruitment saga — and Tennessee seems to be playing their cards close to the vest. Curious to see where Semaj Stanford lands and how this fits into Tennessee’s broader 2027 plans? LEARN MORE

Tennessee is recruiting toward its 2027 football signing class.

Four-star safety Semaj Stanford named Tennessee in his top 12 schools, along with Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami and Ohio State.

“Top 12,” Stanford announced.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect is from Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 6 safety in the class and No. 4 player in Oklahoma.

Tennessee offered Stanford a scholarship on May 6, 2025. He has not visited the Vols.

Arkansas was the first school to offer Stanford a scholarship on Jan. 16, 2024. Other Power Four schools to offer him scholarships include Oklahoma State, Boston College, Kansas State, Arizona, UCF, Missouri, Houston, Iowa State, Baylor, Purdue, Utah, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Arizona State, TCU, UCLA, Washington, Ole Miss, Kansas, Maryland, BYU and Georgia Tech.

Tennessee has four commitments in its 2027 football recruiting class: linebacker JP Peace, cornerback Kamauri Whitfield, offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo and defensive lineman Kadin Fife.

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: 2027 four-star safety names Vols in top 12 schools