Volunteer State native Shamar Porter details first time on Rocky Top
As Tennessee continues to evaluate the in-state class of 2023, Shamar Porter’s name is becoming more and more relevant.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound wide receiver out of Ensworth made it to town this past weekend to watch Tennessee take on Georgia.
“It was a good experience. The energy was awesome with all the fans,” the prospect said. “I can tell the players enjoyed that a lot; they were hype. I got to see the practice facilities and how they run things. I spoke to some trainers and they take everything seriously.
“It was good to see.”
The three-star originally planned to be on campus for a game day visit earlier this season, but had to delay the short-trek by a couple of weeks. Saturday was his first time on campus after initially being offered last season by the Jeremy Pruitt regime.
“The new staff reached out when they got hired. They saw how athletic I was coming in and out of my breaks and liked me from there,” Porter explained. “Now that I’m a junior, we’ve started building the relationship by talking on the phone and through text.”
Offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and wide receivers coach Kodi Burns are leading the recruitment for the Middle Tennessee product.
“They say I have good stature for a wide receiver and that I’m athletic and make plays for my team,” Porter said of the Vol assistants. “They said I can be a big part of the offense. We text about twice a week and talk on the phone every other week.”
The 2021 season for Porter was his first since 2019 as a freshman at Lipscomb Academy. After transferring to Ensworth as a sophomore, he was forced to sit out per TSSAA rules. Still, the offers began coming in and the practice time was well spent as Porter accounted for six touchdowns and 446 yards on 29 receptions this past fall.
And growing up in the mid-state, The Tennessee native is surrounded by Vol fans.
“I’ve heard Tennessee is a good place to be. I have a ton of people telling me every week that it’s the place to be with nice facilities and people who will take care of me,” the target said. “From what I’ve seen so far, it seems like it’s true and that it’s a good place.
“I like the overall perspective on how they treat their players and how they don’t just look at them as athletes. They also focus on the academic side and life.”
Porter has 14 offers to date with no ‘favorites’ in mind right now as there’s much to come over the next calendar year.
The three-star will be at Kentucky on Friday and in Cincinnati for a game day check-in on Saturday. The 2023 prospect camped at Clemson and Georgia over the summer and was in Oxford to see Ole Miss two weeks ago.
Tennessee, however, made a great impression on the junior as Porter no doubt plans to be back in Knoxville at some point.
“I want to come back and visit. It’s definitely a place I’ll come back to before I pick wherever I’m going to go. It was a great experience and I really liked it,” Porter concluded. “It will be big for me to continue to take visits and make connections with coaches to see where I fit in the best.
“That’s the main thing.”