Former Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes, the No. 1 ranked player at his position in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings, has committed to Tennessee. He is the first pledge out of the portal this cycle for head coach Josh Heupel and his staff.
The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Staes caught 15 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns this past fall for the Irish. He is the No. 15 prospect overall in the 247Sports Rankings.
Staes raved about his weekend visit to Knoxville to GoVols247 insider Ryan Callahan.
“I would say three things I loved the most were just the opportunity I could see here, the value that it is close to home. Getting with the coaching staff, really enjoyed all the guys on the offensive side of the ball, just seeing what they do on film with the tight ends. And, obviously, the environment that Tennessee has to offer, just playing in a huge stadium, playing in front of a huge crowd and, obviously, (playing) meaningful games in the SEC.”
Washington and Oklahoma were a couple other schools Staes strongly considered. More from Staes on the Vols here.
Coming out of high school, 247Sports tabbed Staes as the nation’s No. 21 tight end in the 2022 class.
A link to the Tennessee class, high school prospects and portal combined.
