Tennessee football: Florida 2021 DB De’Shawn Rucker commits to Vols

Another player was added to the secondary in Tennessee football’s recruiting class. Tallahassee, Fla. defensive back De’Shawn Rucker chose the Volunteers.

Jeremy Pruitt’s hot streak on the recruiting trail continued into the weekend, and he continued to get them out of rival states. This time, Tennessee football once again picked up a versatile secondary player out of the Sunshine State.

Defensive back De’Shawn Rucker became the sixth player to commit to Rocky Top in the time frame from Sunday, April 26 through Sunday, May 3. He became the third player from Florida and second defensive back from Florida to commit during that time.

A three-star on Rivals, Rucker comes out of Amos. P Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla. and is listed as a cornerback, although he is listed as a safety on 247Sports. He announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

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Rucker is listed at 5’11” 170 pounds. According to Ryan Callahan of GoVols247, he said he clocked in a 4.38 40-time during a camp last year at Georgia Tech. If that’s true, he certainly brings a good bit of speed to the position.

Given the fact that he is a versatile defensive back, Pruitt will definitely have use for him. After all, Shawn Shamburger and Baylen Buchanan will both be gone after this year, and there’s a very good chance Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor both leave. At least Thompson is likely to.

Simply put, the Vols are going to have quite a few openings in the secondary in the future, and Pruitt needs to restock that area as much as possible. Despite only being a three-star, Rucker has a couple of skills that makes him the perfect fit. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, he is a very aggressive coverage corner who has an instinct for the ball, and he is great at sticking with players. It’s also worth noting that he’s great with the ball in his hands, so he could double as a return man. However, he didn’t demonstrate a proven ability to get physical with players, and that’s something that will be crucial at the next level if he truly wants to be versatile.

Still, Rucker already brings a good bit to the table. Not only is he Tennessee football’s sixth pickup in a week, but he is also the Vols’ 17th overall commitment for 2021, their fourth overall commitment from Florida and their fifth commitment at defensive back, although athlete Elijah Howard could be a sixth there.