Recently, the Tennessee Volunteers have bolstered their future with two legacy commitments: linebacker JP Peace and safety Luke Thompson, both of whom bring not only talent but deep family ties to the program.
JP Peace
Peace is the grandson of Tennessee’s legendary head coach, Phillip Fulmer, who won a national title with the Vols in 1998. Although Fulmer is best known for his coaching career, he was also a co-captain and offensive guard who played for the Volunteers from 1968 to 1971. Fulmer spent 17 seasons as Tennessee’s head coach, posting a record of 152–52 with two SEC Championships, eight bowl wins, and a National Championship.
However, the legacy doesn’t end with Fulmer; Robert Peace, the father of Peace, was also a linebacker for the Vols from 2000 to 2003. Robert was best known for his performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2003, where he recorded 16 tackles and a sack in a 51-43 victory over the Tide.
“I mean, it’s really going to be, like, an unreal experience knowing that I’m following in my dad’s footsteps a little bit in that way,” Peace said in an interview with GoVols247. “I’m excited to do that.”
JP Peace is the first Tennessee commit in the 2027 recruiting cycle. He is currently listed as a 3-star and is rated as the No. 27 linebacker in his class according to 247Sports. He also possesses excellent size for a player who has two years left in high school. Peace is currently listed at 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds.
Peace is a versatile outside linebacker who can line up as an edge rusher and is effective in zone coverage. He doesn’t have the elite move sets that you would hope for from an edge rusher, but he has a high enough IQ to make the correct reads and stop plays behind the line of scrimmage. He is also very explosive, which aids his abilities to read plays and drop back in coverage.
Although he primarily makes tackles around the line of scrimmage, he is also more than capable of baiting the quarterback into an interception. He routinely makes the right cuts and gets into position before a play can make it downfield. It is evident that his family played a significant role in shaping him into an intelligent football player, and he still has two more seasons to develop before arriving in Tennessee.
Luke Thompson
Luke Thompson is the second safety Tennessee has secured for the Vols’ 2026 recruiting class, and he is currently listed as a 3-star and is rated as the No. 48 athlete according to 247Sports.
Like Peace, Thompson also comes from a legacy of former Tennessee athletes.
His father, Kevin Thompson, was a walk-on wide receiver for Tennessee, who was also a decathlete for the Vols’ track team. His grandfather, Joe Thompson, also played receiver for the University of Tennessee. Additionally, his mother, Sharon Thompson, also ran track and cross-country for the Volunteers.
It is evident that his family’s genetics played a significant role in contributing to his athleticism on the field. According to Thompson’s Hudl account, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds, a speed that is consistently demonstrated throughout his highlights.
Although he primarily plays safety, his team occasionally uses Thompson as a receiver in short-pass situations. He often caught screen passes near the line of scrimmage and would turn those catches into 30-yard gains while juking defenders in the process.
His elite speed was also showcased when he was on defense. There were several occasions where Thompson correctly read the quarterback’s eyes and would run across the field to make a deflection or an interception.
Thompson is also fantastic at making the correct angles and anticipating where a ball carrier will be before they get there. This helped him prevent several big yardage situations. Thompson is also a hard hitter, regardless of only being 176 pounds.
In conclusion, Thompson is an elite athlete who possesses the ball-hawking skills one would expect from a safety. It doesn’t matter where he’s on the field; he is bound to make a play. He also has the capability of being a valuable punt returner.
His speed and shiftiness make him a threat in the open field. Although Thompson is only a 3-star, he has the potential to become a solid starter for the Volunteers after a few years of coaching.
