There is no question that beefing up a struggling defense is a huge goal for Tennessee’s football team. The Vols certainly appear to be headed in that direction.
Tennessee picked up John Slaughter on Saturday. That’s a step in the right direction for a defense that ranked No. 99 in the nation last season. Yet the Vols weren’t horrible against the pass, especially considering other teams had more opportunities due to Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s accelerated offense.
Tennessee’s defense ranked No. 39 in pass defense last season, which, again, isn’t all that bad. However, the Vols lost Alontae Taylor, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. UT also lost defensive back Theo Jackson, who was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
In other words, a pass defense that had its struggles lost two of its best players from last year. There’s certainly opportunity for the Vols in the defensive backfield.
Of Tennessee’s 12 commitments, six are now defensive players after Slaughter’s announcement. There are three commitments in the 2023 class that are slated to play in the secondary.
Welcoming Slaughter on board was a bit surprising from Tennessee’s standpoint. The three-star safety from Southaven (Miss.) High School has not been heavily recruited by Power Five programs.
The Vols probably could have waited to see Slaughter develop and still have landed him. However, with the expedited recruiting calendar, Tennessee and other teams have to be aggressive in their evaluations and, subsequent, scholarship offers.
That, of course, could lead to a couple of problems. First, Slaughter could become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail and end up with other scholarship offers that he would like to consider. Second, the Vols have now offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-1, 194-pound prospect that Tennessee needs to stand behind. Dropping a scholarship offer used to be damning for a program. It’s not anymore. However, it’s still frowned upon.
Slaughter wasn’t worried about those possibilities. He was ready to announce his decision, which apparently came on or around his mother’s birthday:
Tennessee signed or accepted a transfer from 11 defensive players as part of the 2022 class. There are five new prospects expected to play in the defensive backfield this fall, likely led by two transfers for immediate help: cornerback Andrew Turrentine from Ohio State and safety Wesley Walker from Georgia Tech.
Picking up Slaughter doesn’t immediately cure all of Tennessee’s pending woes in the defensive backfield. However, he can certainly provide depth and competition. If the Vols have him evaluated correctly, Slaughter could excel at a higher level.
The three-star prospect was also considering Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Arkansas State and Austin Peay.
