Breaking Down 4-Star CB Donte Vaughn's Top 4 Schools

Donte Vaughn is a player Tennessee would love to keep in-state. While it appears the 4-star cornerback will ultimately wear an SEC uniform, Volunteers fans are worried that he may go elsewhere.

Although the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have Tennessee as a slight favorite (60 percent) over Ole Miss (40), the recruiting process is still in the infancy stages for Vaughn, who on Tuesday announced his current top four to David Johnson of 247Sports. Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn made the cut.

Tennessee, Auburn and Ole Miss have been at the top of his list since July of last year. Those three and LSU, which he recently visited for junior day, all have their positives—and all four could use a cornerback of Vaughn's caliber.

Vaughn, a 6'3," 190-pound cornerback, reached double-digit offers with the offer Saturday from LSU (Missouri's offer the same day gave him 11 total). He picked up the offer before he made it to Baton Rouge for junior day.

"That's big. That's a pretty big one," Vaughn told Justin Rowland of Rivals.com regarding the LSU offer. "I'm excited about it."

LSU likes to call itself "DBU" (Defensive Backs University), and the environment could fit a tall, rangy player like Vaughn, who is being recruited to LSU by defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. Playing on the opposite side of 5-star Saivion Smith, the nation's top-ranked cornerback who committed to the Tigers on Monday, also could be a strong selling point.

Auburn feels it has a legitimate shot in the race, and picking up a commit like Vaughn would be huge. The Tigers already have 4-star athlete Stephen Davis Jr. committed as a safety, and together, the two could be the backbone of the secondary of the future for head coach Gus Malzahn.

Vaughn is quite familiar with Ole Miss, as he's taken a few unofficial visits to Oxford. He's built solid relationships with defensive backs coach Jason Jones and tight ends coach Maurice Harris, his primary recruiter, and he's enjoyed the game atmospheres.

Ole Miss has a strong class in the making with two 5-star and five 4-star pledges. What the Rebels don't have, however, is a committed defensive back.

LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss are great options, but Tennessee can sell him on a couple of things. First, it's closest to home, and the Volunteers are looking to add another in-state pledge to join 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Johnson and 3-star athlete Dorian Banks in the class.

North Carolina 4-star cornerback Marquill Osborne also is committed, and Vaughn's pledge would give the Volunteers two solid athletes who are talented enough to find legitimate playing time early in their careers.

Although Vaughn has a top four, he told Johnson that he's interested in potential visits to Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida in the coming months. Look for Vaughn to take his time with his decision. Wherever he ends up, look for him to be a contributor early.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles