Former Tennessee Vol Martavius French reconnected with his old teammates on the Tennessee roster on Saturday night after the Vols’ win over UTSA.
French, a linebacker in his second year with the UTSA program, could be seen talking to and laughing around with Vols defensive lineman Omari Thomas, running back Jabari Small, defensive lineman Tyler Baron, defensive lineman Bryson Eason, S Tamarion McDonald, and CB Doneiko Slaughter – all of whom came to Tennessee as part of the 2020 recruiting class.
Thomas, Baron, and Eason were all ranked as four-star prospects while French, Small, McDonald, and Slaughter were three-star recruits.
In addition to that, Thomas, Eason, McDonald, Small, and French are all from the Memphis area.
Eason, French, and McDonald all came from Whitehaven High School while Thomas and Small came from Briarcrest Christian.
Former Vol Martavius French reconnects with his old Tennessee teammates after the game – @rockytopinsider pic.twitter.com/GrmNca1Pgd
— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) September 23, 2023
More from RTI: PFF Grades: UTSA at Tennessee
Martavius French did not see any action during his first season in Knoxville in 2020. In April 2021, French would enter the transfer portal just about three months after Josh Heupel and his staff arrived on campus.
French then played one season at Hutchinson Community College and was named an honorable mention all-conference performer for head coach Dave Dallas’s crew. The former Vol then took that one season and turned it into a spot on the UTSA roster for the 2022 season.
During his first season in San Antonio, French appeared in all 11 of the Roadrunners’ games and recorded 22 total tackles on the season.
French is currently tied for first on UTSA’s roster in tackles through the first four games of the season with nineteen, 14 of which are solo tackles. The former Vol had just two total tackles against the orange-and-white on Saturday, though.
No. 23 Tennessee defeated UTSA by a score of 45-14 in Knoxville on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the members of the class of 2020 that were together on Saturday after the game:
- Tennessee DL Omari Thomas
- Briarcrest Christian, Memphis
- Tennessee RB Jabari Small
- Briarcrest Christian, Memphis
- UTSA LB Martavius French
- Whitehaven, Memphis
- Tennessee DL Bryson Eason
- Whitehaven, Memphis
- Tennessee S Tamarion McDonald
- Whitehaven, Memphis
- Tennessee DL Tyler Baron
- Knoxville Catholic, Knoxville
- Tennessee S Doneiko Slaughter
- Roswell High School, Roswell, GA
