With the recent decommitment from Art Green and the continued flirtations by Mordecai McDaniel with Florida, Tennessee added a key piece to its secondary class Sunday, landing 4-star safety Doneiko Slaughter.
The Roswell (Ga.) standout was recently committed to Arizona State before backing off that pledge in advance of his official visit to Tennessee this past weekend.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back also held offers from Miami, Mississippi State and UCF, among others. He becomes Tennessee’s No. 19 commitment in the 2020 class.
Here’s a closer look at what Slaughter’s commitment means…
SCOUTING REPORT
“Slaughter is a hard-nosed, physical football player. He is smart and he puts himself into position to make players. He’s always been aggressive and a hitter against the run, but he improved in pass coverage this season. He takes good angles to the ball, he does his assignments, and he is a leader on the back-end if the defense. I really like the pick-up for Tennessee. Slaughter may not be the biggest safety, but he plays bigger than his measurable and he will make his share of plays for the Vols."
— Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Regional Analyst
HOW WILL SLAUGHTER FIT IN WITH THE VOLS?
Slaughter is a typical hybrid defensive back that Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley covet. Capable of playing both safety and star, the Peach State native brings a raw physicality as a hard-hitter and aggressive playmaker. He’s not a burner (he clocked a 4.65 40-yard-dash at an Opening Regional this spring) but his football speed checks out.
Much like cornerback commit Keshawn Lawrence, Slaughter has some shades of Eddie Jackson, according to Tennessee coaches. He’ll enter a secondary that’s fairly deep at safety in 2020 — Jaylen McCollough, Theo Jackson, Trevon Flowers and Tyus Fields — but Slaughter could contribute early on special teams.
WHAT DOES SLAUGHTER’S COMMITMENT MEAN FOR TENNESSEE?
The 4-star prospect becomes just the second true defensive back in the class, joining Lawrence.
The question is are the Vols done there or with their be additional movement if McDaniel flips to Florida?
Tennessee loaded up on defensive backs last cycle and looked to do the same early in the 2020 class. Just a few months ago, they had commitments from Green, Top 100 safety Antonio Johnson and Florida defensive back Lovie Jenkins. Now, none are in the class.
Whitehaven star Tamarion McDonald is more of a rover, undersized linebacker, while Jabari Small will start at running back but some believe his future may actually be on defense.
In all likelihood, Tennessee is done with the secondary for the 2020 class, using spots to fill needs elsewhere.
