BREAKING: Former Tennessee Vols starting safety Tamarion McDonald commits to Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Coming on the heels of some key additions to the secondary this week, Ole Miss has added another talented transfer player to the roster after receiving a commit Saturday from former Tennessee defensive back Tamarion McDonald.
@CoachGolding 🦈 pic.twitter.com/YIBXJlUgpd
— Tmac! (@tjdadonn) December 16, 2023
McDonald spent his last four seasons at Tennessee after committing to the Vols from Whitehaven High School in Memphis.
In 2023, McDonald played the hybrid linebacker/defensive back position for the Vols, where he recorded four pass deflections, one interception, and 40 total tackles, despite missing the last two games of the season due to an upper-body injury.
He started 23 games over the last two years for Tennessee and in his four seasons in Knoxville, he amassed 116 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions and 16 passes defended.
McDonald’s contributions don’t stop there, however. According to the Vols’ defensive backs coach Willie Martinez, McDonald is the one who handled the pre-snap reads and communicated assignments to his teammates.
“He sets the defense for us on the back end,” Coach Martinez said of McDonald on Vols’ Radio.
“I mean, he actually, literally sets up the calls. So, number one, they’ve all got to be smart. Don’t get me wrong. But he plays, also, a position where they put probably the most talented player in the slot position. He’s going to be covering them, and week in, week out, play in, play out. So he’s playing against a very versatile player. But at the same time, too, he’s got to set up our defense. He’s got to make the adjustments. He’s got to make the calls, along with the safeties. And T-Mac has done a great job now in his third year with us and second year starting. It shows up in games, his leadership, his physicality.”
Tennessee DBs Coach Willie Martinez on Tamarion McDonald
McDonald was also named to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List.
With the commitment of Tamarion, the Rebs now have three new additions in the secondary who all have several years of Power Five experience: Oklahoma transfer safety Key Lawrence, Illinois transfer DB Taz Nicholson, and Indiana transfer DB Louis Moore.
McDonald’s physicality, speed, and leadership will play a critical role in next year’s defense for Pete Golding.
Rebel fans, make sure you stay tuned into The Rebel Walk for all of your transfer portal updates and more!
