Tennessee is piling up blue-chip talent as the college football season nears.
The latest is one of the nation’s best defensive backs.
Onis Konanbanny, the No. 11-ranked cornerback in the Rivals250, declared for the Volunteers as he prepares to open his senior season at Columbia (S.C.) Heathwood Hall on Friday.
Tennessee, which edged out Florida State for the four-star CB, was the second offer to arrive for the standout defensive back after moving to the States from the United Kingdom. He’s been to Rocky Top eight times — thrice since June — and glowed about his future as a Vol.
“After I was just there, I felt like I knew everything … so many times, I’ve had an idea in my mind (of committing),” Konanbanny told Rivals. “They made it easy. There’s nothing else they could’ve done to make me wanna go there. It’s fantastic, it’s fantastic over there.”
“I feel like they really care about me, this path for me. These relationships are real, they’re relationships that’ll go beyond football,” he continued. “I really like Tennessee. They were almost my first offer, but since that visit to Tennesse, it’s been that way. I feel sentimental toward them.”
Konanbanny has strong ties to multiple coaches on the Tennessee staff.
The rangy 6-foot-2, 185-pound DB singled out Josh Heuepel and the emphasis on family inside the program.
They proved as much during Konanbanny’s last trip to Rocky Top when they video-called his mother from the UK.
“They relate to me,” Konanbanny explained. “It’s all about the relationships. The relationships, the love they show to not just me, but my support system.”
The No. 117 overall player in the Rivals250 picked Tennessee over Florida State. LSU and North Carolina were both squarely in the mix for Konanbanny, who emphasized his fit in Tim Banks’ defense as a catalyst in his decision.
“I fell in love with the campus and how I fit in their defense,” he said. “I’m a DB and I can play all around, play corner, and I can also go in the nickel spot. I fit perfectly in their defense for sure.”
Konanbanny also fits in within the culture that Heupel and his staff have established in Knoxville.
“All of the players are humble. They’re all nice guys, fun to be around, and nobody is above anybody,” he detailed. “Everybody is family with good hearts — like me — so I wanna surround myself with people like me with good hearts who love to help others.”
