Tennessee Football is battling an SEC rival and an ACC foe for one of the top safety prospects in the 2027 cycle.
According to a report from Rivals’ Chad Simmons on Friday morning, four-star safety Ta’Shawn Poole is down to three final schools: Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State.
“All three schools have a lot that I like,” Poole said. “I have had each high on my list for a long time. It’s not an easy decision.”
Poole is a consensus four-star prospect on Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN. All three publications have him as a Top 100 player and a Top 5 safety in the class. While some prospects have varying rankings amongst the three services, all three are in unison that Poole is an elite prospect in the 2027 cycle.
Rivals’ Industry Rankings list Poole as the No. 75 player in the class, the No. 5 safety in the cycle, and the No. 6 player from the state of Georgia. He currently plays for Howard High School in Macon, GA. Poole is listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds.
According to Rivals, Poole took official visits to all three of his finalists in June. He went to Tennessee on June 5, Florida State on June 12, and Georgia on June 23. Poole also took an official visit to Clemson on May 29, but the Tigers did not make his Top 3 cut on Friday. The four-star prospect also took an unofficial visit to Tennessee last October.
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“Rangy safety with ideal size hovering around 6-foot-1.5, 190 pounds with a +6 wingspan and ideal combine testing metrics,” 247 analyst Hudson Standish wrote in an evaluation this month. “Offers plenty of alignment flexibility, as he can feasibly line up over the slot, in the box, or as a split-safety.”
New Tennessee co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is listed as the primary recruiter for Poole’s services. Poindexter came to Tennessee this offseason alongside defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, as part of UT’s attempt at revamping the defensive coaching staff. With this being the first recruiting class that Poindexter has had a hand in, he’s already been credited for Tennessee landing four-star safety Marcus Jones, three-star safety Jaden Butler, and three-star cornerback Slim Leavell.
Simmons’ report doesn’t give an indication about which team may be in the lead for Poole, but it does state that “a decision is coming soon.”
Tennessee Football currently has 16 committed players, and it’s 2027 class ranks 33rd in the nation on Rivals.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news and notes.
