Southaven (Miss.) High School coach
Eddie Stevenson has worked with enough high-level prospects over the years to know talent when he sees it. And he doesn’t have any questions about
John Slaughter’s ability to make an impact at Tennessee.
Slaughter, a Class of 2023 safety, announced his commitment to the Vols on Saturday during his official visit to Knoxville, choosing Tennessee over Ole Miss and Florida State. He has received scholarship offers from more than a dozen schools, but his list of offers and his current ratings don’t necessarily reflect how much of a priority he has been for the Vols over the past several months.
Stevenson said he believes the 6-foot-1.5, 194-pound Slaughter has been overlooked by some major programs simply because there are plenty of defensive backs across the country, and he hasn’t attended many camps at major college programs. But he said talent isn't an issue for Slaughter.
“Do I feel like John’s the most skilled player in the state? You’re damn right,” Stevenson said of Slaughter, who’s ranked the No. 734 overall prospect and No. 61 safety in the 2023 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. “Do I think he’s probably one of the top in the South and in the nation? You’re damn right I do.
“But there’s also a lot of other 6-2, 195-pound cats that are really skilled, as well, so I think when you start getting into those types of games, unless you roll out of bed and you run a 4.3(-second 40-yard dash), then you’ve got to camp at those places for them to make those decisions. …
“The hardest position to find now in college football is a D-lineman, D-tackles. And then, after that, with high school ball doing so much 7-on-7 and just how fast-paced the game is, you’ve developed and they’ve created a whole lot more skill players. They’re not all going to be as skilled as John, but there’s a much more abundance of it.
“So, then, I think when it comes to those situations, it’s about getting them on campus, camping them and go from there. And if you ain’t camping, then they’re just not going to worry about you when it comes to skills.”
Regardless of the reasons Slaughter might have been overlooked by some teams to this point, Stevenson said Slaughter is “up there with some of the best that we’ve had” at Southaven. Texas freshman defensive lineman
Aaron Bryant, a four-star Class of 2022 prospect, and Oregon wide receiver
Isaiah Brevard, a four-star Class of 2021 prospect, are among the players Southaven has produced in recent years.
“Honestly, we’ve been fortunate with some talented guys over the years at Southaven, and John’s up there with some of the best that we’ve had,” Stevenson said. “He can do any of it. And he’s a ballhawk. He’ll come down and he’ll hit, and he’s a good hitter and a good tackler because he’s a 6-2, 195-pound kid and he’s strong.
“But his ballhawk capabilities — I mean, I’ve got a kid in the NBA in Terence Davis Jr., and John’s jump-ball skills are every bit as good as Junior’s, and Junior’s in the NBA. If it goes up and it’s within his half of the field, he’s going to get it. And if he’s in the middle of the field, at that next level, they better not throw it between the numbers and the hash or he’ll get to it.
“Just his ball skills are just different. We’ve been saying that since he was a freshman: He’s different, and that everybody better not look at what he’s doing and try to mimic it because, if I had a bunch that could mimic what he does, then we’d be all right. We’d be a whole lot better off.”
Stevenson said Slaughter has an impressive work ethic that will serve him well once he arrives at Tennessee in January, adding that Slaughter is “big in the weight room, and he’s going to get in the weight room and he’s going to do his business there.”
“Over the years — I’ve been coaching almost 20 years — and one of the things with that: Your skill players, when squat day comes, they tend to be the ones that want to disappear the fastest,” Stevenson said. “And our place, thanks to the leadership of John and some of my other skill guys, that’s when the volume goes up a little bit higher.
“They embrace that side, that work ethic and understanding of what it takes, that the weight room’s a major part. … That’s one of the things that helps make him different, as well. The strength department will definitely enjoy what they’re getting, as well.”
Stevenson said Slaughter, like almost any player, will have to adjust to playing against elite competition in the SEC. But he said Slaughter has a “drive” to improve on and off the field and likes to “see where he’s gotten beat and what he did wrong so he can fix it,” and that should help him reach his potential with the Vols.
“There’s always a learning curve. … One thing that’ll be a big adjustment for him is just getting around the consistent, high-level quarterback play, and just the consistency and the speed of receivers,” Stevenson said of Slaughter. “Because he’s the type of cat, ever since he was a freshman, he could lag behind guys and then just go get the ball. And, at every level, that window gets even smaller and smaller, so that’ll be the thing that he’ll have to make that adjustment to. …
“But the beauty of John is his humility and the fact that he wants to look at what he’s done wrong, fix his mistakes and focus on what he did wrong and correcting those so he can be ready for the next, and that’s one of the things that’s helped distinguish him so much.
“In the ego-driven world we’re in right now, those type of cats, mixed in with some athleticism, they can be different real quick.”
