One of the most intriguing aspects of college football recruitment has always been the fact that a verbal commitment did not always imply that a player was permanently committed.
In fact, when a recruit commits to one school, the competition works even harder to flip that recruit. That was especially true when “School B” realized it was close to winning the recruit, and now that the athlete had committed, most other recruiters were going to back off.
That has resulted in some significant shifts over the years, but in the transfer portal era, the burden is always on colleges to retain their top recruits.
In terms of 4-star tight end pledge Da’Saahn Brame from Derby Kansas, Oregon is in a bit of a jam. Brame committed to the Ducks in late June, but less than a month later, Steve Wiltfong of On3 reports that Tennessee is pursuing the tight end even more following his pledge to Dan Lanning and co.
In reality, it appears that Brame may end up joining the Volunteers.
“A new forecast we have in favor of Tennessee is for the Vols to ultimately flip the nation’s No. 4 tight end DaSaahn Brame from Oregon,” Wiltfong recently wrote. “Position coach Alec Abeln has stayed relentless in recruiting Brame. … Tennessee lost a back and forth with the Ducks at the end of June but are trending again behind the scenes for the Derby (Kan.) High blue-chipper.”
So far, Abeln has served as the principal recruiter for a couple major commitments from Tennessee. One is Jack Van Dorselaer, a 2025 four-star tight end. Abeln got him in despite strong interest from TCU, Michigan, Alabama, Baylor, USC, Texas, and Miami, so he is no stranger to high-profile recruiting fights.
If Abeln’s presence isn’t enough for the Volunteers, Brame recently praised Tennessee’s head coach, Josh Huepel.
“I like how much he cares for his players,” Brame said of Heupel after his official visit to Tennessee. “I sat down with some of the tight ends and they were talking about how much he cares and how he reaches out to their parents and lets them know how they’re doing.”
If the Vols can flip, Brame, he’ll go down as a massive recruiting win.
At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he’s ranked as the No. 5 tight end in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. He caught 46 passes for 942 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior at Derby High School.
