1. Doneiko Slaughter, DB
Overall Rank: 468th
Position Rank: 39th
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 178 lbs
School: Roswell (Georgia)
To me, there isn’t a more underrated prospect in Tennessee’s 2020 signing class than Doneiko Slaughter. Frankly, I don’t think it’s even close.
Slaughter is a four-star on Rivals, but 247Sports still has him rated far too low, in my opinion. Keshawn Lawrence gets most of the attention when it comes to defensive backs signed by UT in this class, but I think Slaughter could have just as big of an impact in his career. Slaughter may not start as a true freshman like Lawrence has the chance to, but with the way Slaughter plays and how he could potentially fit into Pruitt’s defense, I think it’s only a matter of time.
The dynamic and versatile defender looks like a perfect fit as a STAR or nickel type of player for the Vols, and he could even play safety as well. He hits very hard on his tackles, but he doesn’t just lower his shoulder and go in for the big hit; Slaughter is even violent on his wrap-up tackles, and he has some very sound technique as a tackler.
Plus, Slaughter is a bit of a ball hawk and is just overall very, very disruptive.
In his final year at Roswell High School, Slaughter totaled 51 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick according to MaxPreps. Slaughter returned all three of his interceptions for touchdowns, and he totaled four defensive scores overall. In his last two years of high school, Slaughter made 115 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 17 recorded games.
Even if he’s just used on special teams primarily as a freshman, I fully expect Slaughter to make an impact early in his UT career. But I think he has a very high ceiling, and the type of aggression and intelligence he plays with should help him see the field quickly.
As long as Slaughter can put on the necessary weight and keep his quickness, I could see him flourishing as a Rashaan Gaulden-type of defender, only he’ll have some very good coaches at UT — unlike Gaulden.
