Just In: Fast-rising, in-state cornerback to visit Vols after offer
Tennessee has recently entered the competition to recruit a local cornerback who has received interest from over 20 colleges, and he is scheduled to visit the Volunteers in the near future.
Donovan Starr, a promising cornerback from Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee, has been receiving a surge of scholarship offers in the past two months, with over 15 schools actively pursuing him. However, his excitement peaked on Thursday as Tennessee unexpectedly joined the recruitment competition.
During a discussion with Tennessee’s wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope, Starr was ecstatic to receive an offer from the Volunteers. This marked Tennessee as the fourth SEC team to extend an offer to him, following Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Missouri, all of which have presented offers since January 17th.
Smith, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound athlete hailing from Alabaster, Alabama, is currently ranked as the second-best edge rusher in the nation and holds the same position in the state of Alabama according to 247Sports. Moreover, he is positioned as the 18th overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
It is anticipated that Smith’s ranking will eventually elevate to a five-star recruit status.
Tennessee is rapidly emerging as a sought-after destination for top-tier edge rushers.
In the 2022 recruiting cycle, the Vols successfully secured the commitment of edge rusher James Pearce, who has since established himself as one of the premier defensive players in college football.
Building on the momentum from Pearce’s arrival, Tennessee went on to add another five-star edge rusher, Jordan Ross, in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
Like Smith, Ross also hails from Alabama.
Tennessee is beginning to pose a challenge to powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia in recruiting battles. Although the Vols are still chasing behind these programs, the trend of Tennessee attracting top talents from states like Alabama (like Ross) and Georgia (such as the 2024 five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews) is becoming more frequent under the leadership of Josh Heupel.
While there may still be some notable misses in recruiting for the Vols, the gap is undeniably narrowing with Heupel guiding the program.
