Welcome to the age of NIL and the transfer portal where a friend can quickly become a foe. That will certainly be the case when Tennessee plays Arkansas.
The Vols will square off against a familiar Razorback on Saturday at 7:30 EST in Fayetteville when they take the field against Arkansas defensive back Doneiko Slaughter. You might remember that name. He was a Vol before transferring to become a Razorback during the offseason.
Tennessee receiver Squirrel White said there is some familiarity with Slaughter. There should be. The two have faced off in practice countless times when they both wore orange. Slaughter, who primarily plays nickel back for Arkansas, will most often face off against White, who mostly plays slot receiver for the Vols, when the two teams tango on Saturday.
“I feel like I’ll be comfortable going against him,” White said with his trademark grin.
When asked if he and Slaughter had kept in touch after the his move west, White said, “Nah, I think we’re just going to see him when we get there.”
Enough said.
Slaughter is part of a defense that has proven quite adept at flipping the field when an opposing team puts the ball in the air. Arkansas is tied for second in the SEC with six interceptions this season.
“They’ve got guys out there that make plays,” White said. “They fly to the ball. With the ball in the air, they make plays on the ball.”
White has eight catches for 121 yards this season. However, the junior can also affect the game in another way. White is the fourth best punt returner in the SEC, averaging 28 yards per punt return.
“I feel like I’m really comfortable in the return, just as far as catching the ball,” White said. “As far as coaching points, they just tell me to be aggressive and go make a play.”
White is part of a deep, veteran offense – with the exception of redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has started just five games for the Vols. While Iamaleava has proven many doubters wrong with his play this season, he is also getting better week by week.
“He’s definitely gotten better throughout these games, just him being the leader of the offense, been doing good keeping us accountable,” White said of Iamaleava.
That’s not good news for Slaughter.
