Clarington to make Vols first official
At the IMG 7-on-7 in Bradenton, four-star tight end Devonaire Clarington of Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Catholic said he plans to make Tennessee his first official visit, and will be at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 25 to see the Volunteers play Alabama - another team interested in him.
For Clarington - the nation's No. 5-ranked tight end - making the Vols his first official stop was an obvious choice.
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"It's a school that I'm looking at, and they're playing a school I'm looking at," said the 6-foot-5, 224-pounder said. "And it's going to be a crazy game."
Clarington is still narrowing down his official visit schedule, but at this point has eliminated Miami.
"I'm right down the street," he said. "I take so many unofficial visits, it's crazy."
Clarington has nearly 20 offers from Big Five schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, USC and others and while he said he's keeping his options open, some schools are starting to fall out of favor - especially Georgia, another program that has offered him.
Clarington said a recent visit to Athens did not go well.
"They didn't show me around," he said. "Actually, it was a group of us - it wasn't just me. They didn't take us to the field or anything. They just had some girls walk us around one building. They didn't show us around campus, we didn't talk to coaches or none of that.
"They didn't make me feel comfortable, so why waste a trip going back there?"
Alabama, Miami, Florida and Florida State are the teams talking to Clarington the most, he said.