Tennessee Vols land commit from Alabama Crimson Tide's backyard

The Tennessee Vols landed a commitment from a 2025 recruit on Thursday, the program's first 2025 commit since four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley committed to UT in late March.

2025 three-star safety Sidney Walton announced his commitment to Tennessee on Thursday via a video posted to social media.

The video shows Walton walking onto his high school football field before he eventually makes his way inside of Neyland Stadium with his family, revealing his commitment to Tennessee.

Walton, 6-foot-1/187 lbs from Moody, AL (he's originally from Detroit), is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 41 safety in the nation and the No. 20 player in the state of Alabama.

The talented defensive back announced a top five last weekend that included Tennessee, along with Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and Ole Miss.

Walton's commitment to the Vols comes less than two weeks after his recent unofficial visit to Tennessee.

Scouting report via 247Sports : Displays above average athleticism primarily positioned at the corner spot, showing the ability to utilize his length and physicality to his advantage in press coverage. Moves well in short areas for his size, demonstrating the ability to get in and out of breaks efficiently with very little wasted movement. Lack of suddenness and recovery speed on the perimeter suggest he will ultimately transition to a nickel safety role at the next level where his traits are best suited matching up with tight ends and bigger bodied receivers closer to the line of scrimmage. Possesses the physical clay to develop into a contributor and eventual starter at a Power Four program, in addition to providing depth and special teams value by year two.

Tennessee now has eight players committed to its 2025 recruiting class.

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