ESPN persists in showing disrespect towards highly touted recruits who have pledged their commitment to the Tennessee Vols.

It seems like ESPN has an unwritten policy that whenever a highly talented high school recruit commits to the Tennessee Vols, they automatically drop in ESPN’s recruiting rankings.

This trend was evident with Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava during the 2023 recruiting cycle. Despite being rated by On3 as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, ESPN ranked Iamaleava significantly lower, placing him at No. 23 overall in the 2023 class. This ranking was notably below that of fellow five-star quarterback Arch Manning, whom ESPN had at No. 5 overall, despite facing weaker high school competition.

The latest case of this perceived disrespect by ESPN involves 2025 five-star quarterback George MacIntyre, who committed to Tennessee in January. MacIntyre, rated by On3 as the No. 12 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class and by 247Sports as the No. 10 overall player, was surprisingly not even given five-star status by ESPN. Instead, they classified the standout quarterback as a four-star recruit and ranked him at No. 56 overall in the nation.

While ESPN’s recruiting rankings are not as widely followed as those of On3 and 247Sports, this treatment is still disappointing for players like Iamaleava and MacIntyre. It’s puzzling why ESPN consistently rates these players lower.

While it’s not fair to suggest that ESPN harbors bias against Tennessee commits, it’s understandable why some fans might perceive it that way.