Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 Alabama DB DaKaari Nelson

An Alabama defensive back for 2023 who would have been a perfect candidate for Jeremy Pruitt to recruit hasn’t abandoned Tennessee football with Josh Heupel at the helm. Heupel continues to have the Vols trending for him.

DaKaari Nelson, a safety out of Selma High School in Dallas County, Ala., has placed Rocky Top in his top six. Standing at 6’3″ and weighing in the range of 190 to 205 pounds, Nelson is a four-star on every service except On3, where he is a three-star.

Joining Tennessee football on Nelson’s list include the Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Kentucky Wildcats, Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks. He announced all the schools on Twitter with a picture Monday afternoon.

Given Pruitt’s defensive prowess with specific experience in the secondary and his deep ties to Alabama, this is one case where the Vols likely would have had a better chance with a kid under the previous staff. They were the first ones to go after him after all.

However, Tim Banks and Willie Martinez command their own respect coaching defensive backs, and Josh Heupel is clearly building something special at UT. Add in the fact that Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough are both seniors, and Nelson could fill an immediate need.

At 6’3″, Nelson brings a unique height to the position, which could really help in the SEC with the types of receivers defensive backs have to guard. More depth in the secondary is also needed in general for the Vols, so this is a big pickup in a lot of ways.

Currently, there are no favorites to land Nelson on the Rivals Future Cast or the 247Sports Crystal Ball. The Rivals Fan Future Cast has Clemson as a plurality. Penn State is the On3 favorite with Auburn second and Tennessee football third, so the Vols have a lot of work to do to land him, but given how things have gone recently, that’s not implausible.