Recruiting season is not simply about who recruits who. It’s also about who poaches who, sometimes, which makes this time of the year so interesting. Some players have been longtime commits to a program. Suddenly, they’re bidding them ta-ta after getting a better offer somewhere in a sneaky move. One such poaching attempt is underway in Tennessee, and the other party is star coach Deion Sanders. You’ve got to strap yourselves in to follow this ride of a story.

Tennessee Volunteers rank No. 7 in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. They have one 5-star commit and three 4-star and 3-star commits so far. Among the 3 stars is Carson Sneed, a local Tennessee guy out of Nashville. On the 247Sports Composite side, he is a 4-star prospect and ranked the No. 14 tight end in the country. His commitment to Knoxville came in August last year, but he has been exploring other options since then. Though predictions are still high for him to seal the deal with the Vols, an offer from NFL juggernaut Deion Sanders also awaits him. A more direct approach came by way of OT Jordan Seaton from Boulder.

Sneed shared a post on Instagram on March 20, showing a glimpse of what his life looked like right now. It included pictures from practice sessions, games, and places he’s scheduled to visit. In the comments, however, Jordan Seaton wrote an ardent “Come home.” To this, Sneed replied with the ‘TMI’ emoticon. That makes us quite suspicious. Will Sneed pay heed to the Colorado prodigy and leave the base in Tennessee?

Another juicy tidbit to this story is that Seaton, the poacher in question, was offered a multi-million deal by Tennessee. He turned them down to join Coach Prime at Colorado, where his NIL is currently valued at $1.5 million. The Buffaloes were in desperate need of a tackle like him, and boy, did he deliver. Seaton performed impressively throughout the season and allowed only 3 sacks. In his second year under Coach Prime, he is looking forward to another great year. Not only that, Seaton is also helping his coach put more pressure on Sneed, hoping to get him to change sides.

Josh Heupel might have reason to worry because Deion Sanders is not backing down without a fierce fight. He got Seaton from Knoxville and is hopeful that Sneed will follow through as well.

High hopes for Deion Sanders as Sneed visits Colorado

Carson Sneed has been pursued hotly by Deion Sanders since January, four months after he committed to Tennessee. He has been looking at other schools, but Colorado is his first official visit apart from that of Tennessee. The NIL factor and the Coach Prime factor might be attracting him to Boulder. He dropped in at campus last weekend too, causing trouble for Heupel back at Knoxville.

“I’m really interested in the opportunity to get coached by some legends and guys with lots of ball knowledge,” Sneed told On3. “And if I end up there, I could get developed by those guys.” According to his words, Colorado seems to hold a lot of promise for the tight end. Sports Illustrated writes that he was likely the only prospect visiting Boulder that weekend. So, not only did Sneed get in talks with some of the biggest names in football, but he also got to have that experience all to himself.

It is exciting to anticipate what more Sanders is willing to offer Sneed to poach him from Knoxville. Also, how far are Heupel and Co. willing to keep their star TE recruit committed and locked in until signing? We’re almost entering April, and 2026 is kind of close by from a recruiting standpoint. Tennessee and Colorado both have to work within this window of time to see where Sneed’s loyalty lies ultimately.