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Tennesee football: Four-star safety Doneiko Slaughter commits to Vols for 2020

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the inside of Neyland Stadium during a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the inside of Neyland Stadium during a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Jeremy Pruitt got another win from Georgia on Tennessee football’s recruiting front. Safety Doneiko Slaughter of Roswell, Ga. committed to the Volunteers.

Less than a week after losing four-star junior college safety Art Green to a decommitment and a day after losing four-star Mordecai McDaniel, Tennessee football was able to pick up another four-star safety. Since he is not a junior college commit, this is an overall upgrade for the future of the program.

Coming out of Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga., Doneiko Slaughter committed to the Vols Saturday afternoon. His commitment to Rocky Top came one day after he decommitted from the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Slaughter is the 18th member of the Vols’ 2020 class, the second defensive back (third if you count athlete Darion Williamson) and the third pickup for them this week (and second four-star). He announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

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A 6’0″ 180-pound defensive back, Slaughter is the No. 31 ranked player in the state of Georgia on Rivals and the No. 27 ranked player at his position. Despite being a four-star on Rivals, his 247Sports composite score is a three-star. Still, he’s a great pickup overall.

UT is pretty set at safety, but picking up a four-year guy is still a big deal, as he fills more of a void long-term than a junior college guy. In fact, picking him up may have played a role in Green leaving, as Slaughter’s decommitment and then commitment to UT came only days later. Add in the fact that Nigel Warrior is leaving, and there is room for another guy in the rotation next year.

According to Rivals, Slaughter’s stock has actually been rising recently. As a result, there’s an off-chance that he does reach four-star status across the board by the time National Signing Day rolls around. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Slaughter has an amazing feel for the ball. He is great in coverage on the short routes, and his willingness to tackle and play up on the line of scrimmage almost makes him like an undersized outside linebacker. Being able to play the deep ball better is probably the one thing he needs to work on, but that versatility as a safety is a huge deal.

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With three commitments and three decommitments this week, Tennessee football ends up with a net positive. They traded Green and McDaniel for Slaughter, three-star edge rusher Jimari Butler for three-star running back Jabari Small, and then they added four-star defensive tackle Omari Thomas. So overall, it was a great week for Jeremy Pruitt. Slaughter capped off the additions.

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