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Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 Alabama DB DaKaari Nelson

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers player holds their helmet along the sidelines during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers player holds their helmet along the sidelines during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Recruiting elite secondary talent from the state of Alabama was a lot easier for Tennessee football with Jeremy Pruitt at the helm given the fact that he was a respected defensive coach from the state at the time who specialized in defensive backs. However, Josh Heupel still has UT in the running for such prospects.

The Vols made the top 11 for Dallas County, Ala., safety DaKaari Nelson. Coming out of Selma High School, Nelson is listed as a four-star across the board except On3, where he is a three-star. He stands at 6’3″ and weighs in the range of 190 to 205 pounds.

Joining Tennessee football on Nelson’s list are the Auburn Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, Florida State Seminoles, Clemson Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Oklahoma Sooners, Arkansas Razorbacks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Oregon Ducks and UCF Knights. He announced the schools Thursday afternoon on Twitter.

Obviously, safety is about to be a big need for the Vols. Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough started at free safety and strong safety respectively last year and are both back as seniors this year. Although McCollough could have another year of eligibility after this one, he likely won’t use it, and this is it for Flowers.

Taking that into account, Heupel, Tim Banks and Willie Martinez will have a wide open race for both safety spots to deal with next year, and a guy like Nelson would have a big impact on that race. The more players UT can get for depth and competition there next year, the better.

Given his size, Nelson clearly would be a unique defensive back. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him find his way into the rotation immediately depending on who else is competing at the position. What’s clear, though, is that he would be a welcome addition.

Next. Top five 2023 out-of-state recruits for Vols to pursue. dark

Currently, there are no favorites to land him on the Rivals Future Cast, and there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. Clemson is the favorite on the unscientific Rivals Fan Future Cast, but Tennessee football is tied with Auburn for the plurality favorites when it comes to the On3 rankings, so the Vols should have a good shot at him.

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