Auburn football commitment Donovan Starr was surprised like everyone else when Vanderbilt upset Alabama two weeks ago.
But the Ravenwood four-star defensive back is giving Commodores coach Clark Lea and his staff credit. They predicted the program’s turnaround during their pitches to him before he started his final TSSAA football season.
“Their message to me before was, ‘It’s going to be different this year,’” Starr said after Ravenwood’s 28-7 win over Franklin on Friday. “When I saw that (Vanderbilt’s 40-35 win over Alabama) it really opened my eyes. I was like, I really see it now. They were speaking the truth.”
Starr remains committed to Auburn but is listening to Vanderbilt as it makes its final pitches to him. He said has visits planned for Alabama next week for its game against Missouri and to Vanderbilt on Nov. 9 for the South Carolina game.
The Commodores (4-2, 2-1 SEC) are enjoying a wave of success and trying to capitalize by making a push for Starr, who is the No. 10 player from the 2025 class in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. He recently rose to No. 1 in the state in 247Sports’ staff ranking, just weeks after Alabama offered him a scholarship on Oct. 3.
“(Vanderbilt) has been in contact pretty much every day,” Starr said. “It’s been Coach Rich (cornerbacks coach Jamaal Richardson), Coach (assistant cornerback coach Justin) Harris. I talk to Coach Lea sometimes. I think a lot of recruits are starting to take visits there now and seeing that Vandy’s been getting better.”
Starr called Lea “a brilliant coach” and a “defensive mastermind.”
Once news got out that Starr would be taking a visit to Alabama, other schools got involved in his recruitment again. It has been anything but quiet.
“I try to handle it well,” Starr said. “A lot of coaches have started calling me and everything picked back up.”
Auburn football commitment Donovan Starr didn’t see recruitment coming
Starr’s upside is one reason colleges are so interested in him. This is just his fourth season playing football. He began as a freshman after his family moved from Illinois to Middle Tennessee.
Getting into football wasn’t easy, either. Starr’s family loved basketball and his older brother, DJ, played at Ravenwood. But their mom, Amy, had never let them play football before.
“His best friends saw how fast he was and they were like, ‘Oh, no, we need you on the football team,’” his mom said. “When Donovan gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t stop. He kept asking to play, being on me about doing it and I finally gave in.”
Starr, who had a 47-yard touchdown catch Friday against Franklin, said he’s still developing. “I learn a little bit more each day,” he said. “I was just playing for fun, to be honest. I didn’t have college on my mind at all.”
His mom’s learning too. The recruiting process has been eye-opening.
“Oh, man. It’s a wild ride,” she said. “There’s the ups and the downs. You don’t know what’s in front of you, but at the end of the day, we’re blessed to be where we’re at.”
