Breaking: Four-star top target name Tennessee as favorite choice

A four-star offensive lineman from Nashville, Tenn., who’s a longtime Tennessee target announced his top 10 college choices on Friday

Tennessee is among the top schools in the running for a highly ranked, in-state offensive lineman. Four-star Class of 2025 offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn., announced his top 10 college choices Friday in posts on his social-media accounts, and the Vols are one of a half-dozen SEC teams he’s strongly considering.

Michigan, Oregon, Auburn, Colorado, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Missouri, Clemson and Georgia joined Tennessee in the group of front-runners for the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Gooden, a Top247 prospect who received a scholarship offer from the Vols more than two years ago. He has already piled up offers from more than 50 schools, including all 10 of the teams on his list of favorites.

He’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 154 overall prospect and No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class and the No. 4 junior from the state of Tennessee. He’s also a four-star prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, where he’s ranked the No. 217 overall player and No. 14 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class.

Tennessee gave Gooden an early offer in October 2021, during his freshman season at Lipscomb, and he has visited the Vols at least a few times since then. He attended one of the Vols’ home games each of the past three seasons, including their win over Texas A&M on Oct. 14.

Gooden has been to Tennessee’s campus at least three times since June. He traveled to Knoxville in late June for a visit that coincided with Tennessee’s final camp of the year, and he visited the Vols again July 29 for their “Rocky Top Kickoff” event.

Missouri and Oklahoma are among the other schools he has visited since June. He also traveled to Clemson on April 1.

He’s a teammate of four-star Tennessee cornerback signee Kaleb Beasley, a Top247 prospect, and four-star linebacker signee Edwin Spillman. Gooden is also a former teammate of Vols freshman wide receiver Nate Spillman.

Tennessee extended an offer to Gooden during his visit for the Vols’ win over South Carolina on Oct. 9, 2021, and he returned to Knoxville in March 2022 to attend one of Tennessee’s junior days. He also traveled there in October 2022 for the Vols’ win over Kentucky before making his three trips to Tennessee this year.

He spoke highly of his first game-day experience at Tennessee more than two years ago.

“It was fun,” Gooden said in December 2021, referring to his visit with the Vols in October 2021. “We got there early because recruits have to get there early. It was already loud. When the players first came out, there were screaming, loud — everybody. It was a fun game.

“Actually, I knew they had the big stadium. But I didn’t think they were going to be as loud as they were. When they started singing ‘Rocky Top’ and stuff like that, it was pretty fun and lit.”