Tennessee football makes cut for 2023 Florida DB Braeden Marshall

With two starters gone from this past year, Tennessee football already has to replace key talent in the secondary. It’s likely the Vols will have to do the same thing next year, as at least one more starter will be gone. What better way for Josh Heupel to do that than adding players from near where he used to coach in Florida?

Braeden Marshall, a defensive back out of Lake Mary High School in Seminole County, Fla., which is part of the Orlando metro area, has the Vols in his top 10. A four-star on Rivals and a three-star everywhere else, Marshall is 5’10” and weighs in the range of 170 to 180 pounds.

Joining Tennessee football on Marshall’s list are the Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Arkansas Razorbacks, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Wisconsin Badgers, Pittsburgh Panthers and Heupel’s old school in Orlando, the UCF Knights. He announced the schools Wednesday evening on Twitter.

Across the board, Marshall is listed as a cornerback. That’s where the Vols took a big hit this past year with the departures of Theo Jackson, Kenneth George Jr. and Alontae Taylor. This year, they have an advantage because almost all their cornerbacks will return in 2023.

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need to replenish their depth before then. Adding a guy like Marshall could do that. Heupel doesn’t just have connections to Marshall’s area. He and his staff have connections to be able to recruit against the schools targeting him.

Scott Frost, Heupel’s predecessor, is at Nebraska and struggling. Tim Banks, Rocky Top’s defensive coordinator, left Penn State. Manny Diaz has Banks’ old job now but was fired by Miami this past year. Simply put, this team has plenty of ammo to recruit against schools targeting Marshall.

Currently, there are no favorites to land Marshall on the Rivals Future Cast, and there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. Clemson is a plurality favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast, and On3 has UCF as a plurality favorite with UNC, Penn State, Nebraska, Clemson and Pitt following in that order. Tennessee football has work to do.