Brandon Leavell

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-0, 165 lbs. Taller than 33% and heavier than 7% of 2027 Athlete prospects in the SEC Scouts database (15 with a listed size).

Play Style

On film he plays like a receiver on defense. He has fluid hips, attacks the ball in the air, and is comfortable turning and tracking the deep ball. His long strides let him carry vertical routes, and his length lets him recover at the catch point. On offense, his 21-yard-per-catch average shows he can win on deep throws and gain yards after the catch. On defense he looks most natural playing with vision: off-man, Cover 3 or a quarters corner, or a single-high/half-field safety where his range and ball skills show up. He looks less natural when asked to be a physical press or box defender.

Strengths

• Ball skills from both sides of the ball: as a junior in 2025 he caught 35 passes for 735 yards (21.0 per catch) and 12 TDs while also intercepting 4 passes on defense. That production shows real hands, tracking and catch-point timing, which are the traits that turn PBUs into interceptions.
• Length and catch radius for a DB: a 6-1-ish frame with long arms lets him contest high-point throws and stay in phase without needing elite recovery speed.
• Rising stock that power programs validated: he went from zero D-I offers in February 2026 to roughly 24 by May, including Clemson, Florida, FSU, Indiana, Ole Miss and Auburn. Tennessee was his first Power 4 offer. That kind of quick, broad offer list usually means coaches liked what they saw in person at evaluations and camps.
• Two-way experience gives him positional flexibility: he played receiver and cornerback in 2025 and earned TSSAA Division II-AA Middle All-Region honors, so he understands route concepts from the offensive side.

Areas to Improve

• Weight and functional strength: at roughly 165-170 he needs 20+ lbs to hold up against physical SEC receivers in press, to get off blocks on the perimeter, and to tackle reliably in run support.
• Defensive technique refinement: because he split time with offense in DII-AA private-school play, his footwork from a backpedal, his press technique and his zone eye discipline will need consistent coaching. Pure DB reps against higher-level competition have been limited.
• Tackling and physicality: he needs to show he will come downhill and wrap up as a run defender. Against SEC run games, a slender DB who gets exposed in this area gets taken off the field.

College Projection

Projects as a DB, most likely an outside corner or a rangy safety, depending on how his frame fills out. Expect a redshirt-type first year (2027) focused on strength gains and special-teams reps. He could compete for a rotation role in Year 2 and contend for a starting job by Years 3-4 if he gets to about 185-190 and keeps his movement skills. His receiver background also gives Tennessee a fallback at WR if the DB transition stalls.

Best Fit

Tennessee's DB room is a strong fit: a system that values long, ball-hawking DBs, plays a lot of Cover 3 and quarters, and has an established strength program to develop a frame like his. In general, he fits any scheme that lets a long, instinctive DB play with vision and attack the ball. He fits less well in a heavy press-man system that would require play-one physicality before he has added the weight.