Tennessee football makes cut for 2021 Florida DB

The Pensacola, Fla. prospect has the Tennessee football Volunteers in his top five.

It’s no secret that Jeremy Pruitt has been trying hard to establish a Tennessee football recruiting pipeline into the state of Florida. Well, he and the Vols just took another step towards increasing that prospect, this time in the panhandle, right on the Alabama border.

UT made the top five for Pensacola, Fla. defensive back Damarius McGhee. Despite being a two-star on Rivals, McGhee is listed as a three-star on 247Sports Composite and a four-star on 247Sports, so there is a wide range of analysis over his potential.

In addition to Tennessee football, McGhee, who comes out of Pensacola Catholic High School, had the Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels and Louisville Cardinals on his list. He announced the schools on Twitter.

Given Pruitt’s connections to the Pensacola area, which is in Escabia County, the westernmost county in Florida and a direct border to Alabama from the East, there’s a very good chance the Vols could be in serious play for McGhee. Of course, the question of how good he is at 6’0″ 162 pounds remains up in the air.

So far, the Vols’ pipeline into Florida has included four commitments, two of whom are four-stars who were formerly committed to the Florida Gators in Kamar Wilcoxson and Terrence Lewis. Wilcoxson and three-star De’Shawn Rucker are two other defensive backs from the state.

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Rucker, coming out of Tallahassee, Fla., and three-star defensive end Darrell Jackson, out of Havana, Fla., make for two major pickups already from the Florida Panhandle. Simply put, McGhee fits the profile of numerous connections Pruitt and UT have into the state.

Four defensive backs committed plus an athlete in Elijah Howard are currently committed to the Vols for 2021. McGhee is listed as a cornerback, which is good for Rocky Top, which will likely have to replace both starting cornerbacks after this year, as Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor could both leave. Also, both nickels, Shawn Shamburger and Baylen Buchanan, are seniors.

Right now, there are no favorites to land McGhee, including from fans. As a result, Tennessee football could be in great play to land the guy due to its connections to the are and its need for future cornerbacks. Pruitt and Derrick Ansley being on staff helps as well. This is a first step.