A day after beating the Clemson Tigers, the Vols were back to recruiting for 2024. Offensive lineman Donovan Harbour announced his top-seven schools on Saturday. The list included Tennessee football as well as Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida.
Harbour measures out at 6-5 and 310-pounds. The four-star in the class of 2024 attends Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
He is the No. 60 prospect nationally, and the No. 1 prospect from Wisconsin. Harbour was last in Knoxville for Tennessee’s win against Alabama. He was extended a scholarship offer in April.
Exactly what role Harbour would play on any offensive line is a bit of a question. He is listed as a tackle on 247Sports but a guard or interior offensive lineman on Rivals and ON3.
Given the fact that Tennessee football just added Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Andrej Karic and also has Gerald Mincey, both of whom will be eligible through 2024, Harbour would seem to fill a bigger need inside. However, a lot can happen between now and then.
Josh Heupel will likely just put Harbour in where he’s best. By that point, he should have enough depth everywhere to do that, unlike 2021, when he moved Darnell Wright to left tackle out of need.
Luring an elite offensive lineman out of Wisconsin will be tough for Tennessee football, though. The Badgers are Offensive Line U, and it’s not like they’ll abandon that tradition with Luke Fickell the way they did with Gary Andersen back in 2013 and 2014.
At the same time, Heupel’s offense, while skill-based, can turn good linemen into stars. Cade Mays was selected in last year’s NFL Draft, and Darnell Wright might be the highest draft pick out of Rocky Top this year.
A lot of this depends on what type of program Wisconsin becomes under Fickell. He obviously had success at Cincinnati, but this is a different situation. The type of season he has in 2023 could be crucial. That also holds true for the Vols.
