#PRZTN Recruiting Insider (October Edition)

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We are getting closer to our first national signing day, which means recruiting is and will begin picking up over the next two months. Here we provide you info on some of the state's top #TN2025 and #TN2026 prospects headed into "cruitin season". </h2>     #TN2025 Recruiting Notes    - Oakland running back [player_tooltip player_id='219449' first='Tamari' last='Hill'] is one of the better overall prospects left from our in-state senior class and as of writing this piece, interest is lacking with the Mid-Tennessee product. According to the Patriots ball carrier, he is wide open right now when it comes to choosing a future college home and available to anybody out there interested. At one time in this recruitment, Hill sported more than 15 offers with several of them coming from the D1, Power 4 level but those offers may not be available anymore.    Moving over to Oakland this Fall, Hill saw the move as an opportunity to touch the ball more and put himself in place to eventually sign with a D1 program. I do think he will eventually sign with a school from that level but the options to commit just aren't there right now. It will be interesting to see how things play out for Hill as I actually think he has boosted his stock with a strong senior year up to this point that has him in consideration for Mr. Football. This is definitely a D1 talent that is certainly being hindered by the new model of transfer portal recruiting but in the end, I believe all will work out for the best.    - - -    - One of the best defensive prospects from our senior class could be on the verge of flipping his commitment from one SEC school to another. Bartlett linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='795560' first='Austin' last='Howard'] is currently committed to Mississippi St. but the Memphis area defender has been in deep talks with Vanderbilt and after visiting  for their big home win over Alabama, Howard might soon ride with the Commodores.    According to Howard, the atmosphere, the performance and message from Coach Lea resonated with the Panthers edge rusher after the win over the Crimson Tide. He see's change happening at Vanderbilt as according to him, he felt something special in the air while in attendance.    At one time in this recruiting process, Howard was committed to Vanderbilt but decided to flip to Mississippi St. due to the lack of winning in Nashville but things have changed with how the Dores have played this season. The development with the Vanderbilt program this year shows Howard what a future on West End could look like and soon, I think he will decide to get back on board with the Dores.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/aushoward.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1174060" style="width:632px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - -    - Committed to Georgia since the spring time, Brentwood Academy Def. Tackle [player_tooltip player_id='403566' first='Stephon' last='Shivers'] has backed off from the Bulldogs and reopened his recruitment to all suitors. One team to watch for moving forward is Vanderbilt. The Commodores have picked up their interest big time with this massive nose plugger and made him a priority. This past weekend, Shivers visited for the Dores win over Alabama and came away very impressed. Shivers placing himself back on the open market will make others get involved but Vanderbilt might be in the driver seat regardless of what happens in the next two months.    Staying with the Commodores, they have become a real player for the services of Ravenwood and Prep Redzone TN top 20 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='820942' first='Donovan' last='Starr']. The Raptors cornerback has been committed to Auburn since this summer but has kept his ears open to others with Vanderbilt being one of them. He has visited twice so far this Fall with last weekend against Alabama being one of those visits and by all accounts, he walked away quite impressed with the performance and the direction the program is going.    The Commodores have a real shot here with Starr but so do others, especially Alabama, Illinois and Michigan. Those three schools have been active with Starr these Fall months, working to flip him from the War Eagles. Visits to Alabama and Michigan are set with Starr here in the near future with the possibility of checking Vanderbilt out again before the year is out. This Mid-Tennessee product will certainly be someone to watch as we lead into signing day in December.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/donstarr.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1168067" style="width:282px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    #TN2026 Recruiting Notes   - Get ready to start hearing about Upperman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1254853' first='Bronzden' last='Chaffin'] moving forward as the Bees junior signal caller is building some serious buzz with his play on the field that has D1 programs taking notice. Just recently, Chaffin added his 1st D1 offer from MTSU and they won't be the last. The Blue Raiders got on board first and it solidified his status as potentially one of the better quarterback prospects coming out of our #TN2026 recruiting class that should see an increase of recruiting over the next few months.    Since the start of the 2024 high school football season, Chaffin has been a man on a mission to prove his worth and how D1 programs needed to start paying attention to him. He has played excellent football up to this point and schools like Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Georgia St., Georgia Southern, North Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are showing interest. Chaffin has taken unofficial visits this Fall to North Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt with a few others being set up for the next couple of weeks.    I foresee buzz continuing to grow for this Mid-Tennessee quarterback because Chaffin has college size along with a powerful right arm and the athleticism to develop into a formidable dual threat guy somewhere down the road. All the athletic tools are there for Chaffin to become a highly recruited guy. He just has to keep working and developing his skill set and if he stays on the proper path, plenty of D1 programs will get involved.    - - -    - The offers have yet to arrive but get ready for them as Lipscomb Academy junior wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1170988' first='Cam' last='Blivens'] has all the talent needed to become an eventual Power Four prospect. Claiming a starting role for his Mustangs offense this season, Blivens has taken advantage of his time on the field by showing off tremendous athletic abilities that translate very well to the college game. Those talents are being recognized by college coaches as according to Blivens, he is receiving current interest from the likes of Harvard, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, SMU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt to go along with his first offer in UAB.    The interest list will grow for this Mid-Tennessee talent after his junior film gets filtered around the college coaching circle this off-season. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few offers come his way before we end the 2024 year because Blivens is that talented with tons of upside. I predict that Blivens could become one of the hottest recruits to follow in this state throughout the next cycle and push his way into the top 20 overall prospects coming out of our #TN2026 recruiting class.    - - -    - Many people around the state know who [player_tooltip player_id='402530' first='Camden' last='Goforth'] is and plenty of college coaches do as well but they are slow playing his recruitment right now as this East TN product sits with just a handful of offers. His junior work this season shows that he should be contacted much harder because Goforth is an animal up front that has simply dominated his opponents through seven weeks of the high school football season.    Holding offers in hand from Chattanooga, Eastern Ky and UT-Martin, Goforth is playing above those offers as he has performed like a definite D1, potential Power Four guy. I think more and more coaches are paying attention as I've seen an increase in interest over the past several weeks, including some from that elusive Power Four level.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/136-Camden-Goforth-crop-2891x1899-1720808164.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1331013" style="width:391px;height:auto" /></figure>   One school increasing that interest is Indiana. The Hoosiers have taken a liking to Goforth and they could be interested in offering the Cherokees junior when he visits campus in two weeks. If the Big 10 program decides to offer, they would immediately jump to the top of the board and become a player throughout his entire recruitment. Before visiting Indiana, Goforth will travel South to check out Georgia State this weekend where the Panthers may extend him his 1st D1 offer.    Besides the two mentioned above, Goforth is receiving a bevy of interest from the likes of Dartmouth, James Madison, Memphis, Miami Ohio, Mississippi St., MTSU, Penn, Tulane and Vanderbilt. Two Big 10 schools are beginning to sniff around too in Ohio St. and Wisconsin. I think the interest will continue to grow for Goforth as the next several months go on, establishing this guy as one of the best O-line prospects from our in-state junior class.    - - -    - Busting out recently with his first offer from Syracuse, Baylor junior O-lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1206520' first='Xavier' last='Wade'] is a name to watch moving forward. The Red Raiders 6 '5 300 pound big man has shown out so far this football season where he manhandled opponents week after week, displaying excellent power along with deceptive athleticism that could continue to develop further throughout the off-season. The Orange were the first P4 program to take notice but they won't be the last.    According to the native Canadian, Wade is receiving increased interest from Houston and North Carolina. Both schools could be next in-line to extend an offer but watch out for many others due to Syracuse pulling the trigger a week ago. If there would be one school to watch for when it comes to desired offers for Wade, it would be Tennessee. He has taken a liking to the Vols and would definitely place them at the top if or when Tennessee got involved. Expect to see an increase in recruitment for Wade over the next four months as recruiting season is upon us and this guy will certainly be a top guy to watch.    - - -    - Whitehaven junior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1162375' first='Cory' last='House'] was in attendance for Vanderbilt's big win over Alabama last weekend where the Commodores made a big impression on the Tigers prospect. Holding an offer from Vanderbilt, House has maintained a good relationship with the staff and with the win over the Crimson Tide, his interest with the Dores has certainly increased. He enjoyed the atmosphere along with the physicality and domination the Dores put forth on the field versus Alabama.    The Tigers defender could certainly see a future at Vanderbilt and he has the grades needed to play there. The Dores should continue to remain a player but so should Ole Miss. According to House, the Rebels sit as a favorite along with Vanderbilt for this Memphis native but at this point in his recruitment, he is wide open!   He recently added a new offer from East Carolina and should see several more come his way over the next few months. If Penn St., Miami or Texas A&M ever become interested and extend an offer, they would become immediate contenders as House has a fancy for those three programs. I wouldn't be surprised if those schools and others get on board sooner than later because House brings a lot of tools and upside that translate well to the Power Four level.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoryHouseJr1/status/1842767815276712085 </div></figure>