Donte Vaughn Reveals Top 8: Which School Is Best Fit for 4-Star CB?
Back in February, 4-star Tennessee cornerback Donte Vaughn revealed four schools that were sticking out to him in his recruitment. Over the last few months, interest in Vaughn has soared, and now he has an SEC-heavy list of his top eight programs.
The 6'3" Memphis native tweeted his top-eight list Sunday afternoon, and it consists of seven SEC programs and one major outsider—Notre Dame:
Vaughn, the nation's No. 27 cornerback and Tennessee's No. 7 overall recruit, noted he was still open to those schools outside his top eight that hadn't offered him a scholarship yet.
According to his 247Sports profile, Vaughn has 17 offers and interest in three non-offering schools at this point in Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon.
The three schools atop Vaughn's Crystal Ball Predictions are the two usual suspects for a Memphis-area recruit—in-state Tennessee and nearby Ole Miss—and Notre Dame. The Rebels have 25 percent of his predictions, while the Volunteers and the Irish are both at 38 percent.
Vaughn has become a wanted man on the recruiting trail because of his frame and skill set, which could make him a candidate for early playing time in college.
"Vaughn’s coveted size could trend him toward corner or safety at the next level," Irish247's Evan Sharpley wrote in June. "Enough athleticism to play multiple positions. Versatility is king. Long levers allow Vaughn to bully opposing wideouts on the snap of the ball."
The 4-star defensive back could realistically land anywhere on his top-eight list, but several schools stick out in the race for his commitment.
Ole Miss is looking to reload its feared "Landshark" defense over the next couple of seasons after the departures of star defensive backs Senquez Golson and Cody Prewitt. Many of the Rebels' projected starters in the secondary for 2015—Tony Bridges, Tee Shepard, Trae Elston and Chief Brown—will be NFL draft-eligible after this season.
Vaughn's size and versatility would give him the chance to play multiple spots in Ole Miss' fierce secondary. The Rebels do not have a blue-chip defensive back currently committed in their class of 2016.
Notre Dame is an intriguing candidate for Vaughn. He is expected to visit South Bend later this month, and some believe the Irish are now the leaders for a recruit they want because of his physical gifts.
"Notre Dame has been recruiting me so hard since I got the offer," Vaughn told Irish247's Tom Loy last month. "They want me at cornerback and love my length, my size and my athleticism."
LSU is another contender because of the amount of defensive back talent the Bayou Bengals continue to stockpile in Baton Rouge. Of the blue-chippers LSU already has committed in the secondary for the class of 2016, Vaughn would be the biggest pickup in terms of size.
Also in the SEC West, Auburn and Texas A&M both have depth concerns in the secondary and are looking to rebuild their defenses with new coordinators Will Muschamp and John Chavis, respectively. Vaughn especially has the potential to play early and often at these two schools.
But perhaps the team that is the best fit for Vaughn is his home-state school.
Since Butch Jones took over as head coach, the Volunteers have become a recruiting power, and they have been able to land most of the top players in the state with their current staff.
Vaughn has the opportunity to join plenty of talented Tennessee natives working to bring the Vols back to national prominence.
His ability to play safety would also make him a great pickup for Tennessee.
The Volunteers currently have a commitment from 4-star North Carolina cornerback Marquill Osborne, but they don't have one who can also play in the back of the secondary.
Tennessee's two returning starters at safety this season—Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil—are seniors. While the program has a couple of highly touted backups behind them, it didn't sign a blue-chip safety in its star-studded class of 2015.
According to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan, Tennessee would most likely want to take a pair of safeties in this year's class. Vaughn could pair up with another top prospect such as Nigel Warrior and fill a major need for Tennessee.
If Vaughn continues to be open to playing safety at the next level, Tennessee looks like his best fit. Thanks to close proximity, Tennessee's needs and Vaughn's versatility, the Volunteers still appear to be the one to beat for his signature.
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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