Former Tennessee DB De'Shawn Rucker commits to South Florida
Former Tennessee defensive back De’Shawn Rucker on Monday morning committed to South Florida, where he’ll play for former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh. Rucker is the eighth former Tennessee player to announce his commitment to a new school after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Golesh in his first season as USF’s head coach took the Bulls from one win in 2022 to a 7-6 season, which ended with a 45-0 win over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Rucker, the 6-foot, 185-pound junior, appeared in 24 games with the Vols over the last three seasons, accounting for 14 tackles and one pass defended.
He played in 12 games as a freshman in 2021, finishing the year with five tackles, and had eight stops in eight games in 2022. He played in four games for the Vols this season, making one tackle.
Rucker was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle out of Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla.
Other former Tennessee players who have exited via the transfer portal since the regular season ended are redshirt senior defensive back Warren Burrell (Georgia Tech), redshirt freshman offensive lineman Mo Clipper Jr. (Charlotte), senior defensive back Doneiko Slaughter (Arkansas), senior nickel Tamarion McDonald (Ole Miss), senior defensive end Tyler Baron (Ole Miss), freshman defensive back Jack Luttrell (Arizona) and redshirt freshman Addison Nichols (Arkansas).
Redshirt senior defensive back Brandon Turnage entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on December 4 but has not yet announced a commitment to a new school. Neither has defensive back Wesley Walker, the redshirt senior and former Georgia Tech transfer who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on December 22.
Tennessee has added four players from NCAA Transfer Portal
Josh Heupel and his Tennessee coaching staff have so far signed three players out of the portal, adding Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes, Oregon State defensive back Jermod McCoy and Middle Tennessee State defensive back Jakobe Thomas.
Tennessee also has a commitment from Tulane wide receiver Chris Brazzell II but has not yet announced his signing.
The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Staes spent the last two seasons with the Fighting Irish. He caught 15 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games this season, after catching one pass for 11 yards as a freshman in 2022.
Thomas over the last two seasons had 108 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, to go with eight passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
McCoy had 31 tackles with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and seven passes defended this season.
Five Tennessee players have announced their return to the Vols for another season in 2024: Offensive tackle John Campbell, linebacker Keenan Pili, defensive tackle Omari Thomas, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey and center Cooper Mays.
