How Tennessee football commit John Slaughter blossomed into one of Mississippi's top safeties
It wasn’t long after John Slaughter’s middle school move from Clarksdale (Mississippi) to Southaven that Chargers’ football coach Eddie Stevenson – the team’s defensive coordinator at the time – picked up on the mannerly side of the young free safety.
“He’s, ‘Yes sir’ and ‘No sir,’ and always been that way,” said Stevenson, “and that was one of the things that helped distinguish and differentiate him from the other students. They ain’t being raised like that anymore.”
And, it probably came to nobody’s surprise, that Slaughter’s courteous way continued on the gridiron. Opposing quarterbacks, for example, looking to complete a pass downfield, were met with a stern “No sir,” including his particularly memorable freshman year.
“I had like 12 picks that season,” Slaughter said. “They actually don’t send us our ninth-grade film where we can publish it, but I knew since then that I would be a star one day.”
Fast forward to a senior season that is set to begin. Slaughter, a Tennessee commitment, is No. 2 in The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top college football prospects for the Class of 2023 from the Memphis area as chosen by the newspaper.
MORE FROM THIS SERIES: No. 12 | No. 11 | No. 10 | No. 9 | No. 8 | No. 7 | No. 6 | No. 5 | No. 4 | No. 3
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He is a three-star safety and No. 13 college prospect in Mississippi by 247Sports Composite.
“John takes football very seriously,” Southaven assistant coach Avery Patton said. “He has a passion for it. He’s an incredible athlete.”
Path to success
Slaughter was introduced to football when he turned six years old.
“My uncle and my grandpa worked as a team to guide me,” he said, “and got me on the right track to start playing ball.”
Quality guidance continued in 2019, even though it wasn’t the brightest of seasons for the varsity Chargers.
“We had a 2-9 year and we revamped some stuff,” Stevenson said. “That’s when John and them were coming up and getting to the high school ranks. So, he had some real solid guys that had tasted defeat that were in front of him, and that were blessed to be able to move on and continue to play ball. Those guys did a great job of really taking him in. Of course, in his case, Coach Patton did an outstanding job with John.”
Patton, the freshman coach, got the middle-school scoop on Slaughter from coach Sanrick Shannon.
“When he sent that group … that was a great class,” said Patton. “They had everything you wanted in a football team. And John’s ball skills? It was crazy. Sometimes it just seems so unnatural for a kid to be that instinctive. I told a lot of the older players, ‘Y’all need to come watch this freshman. This kid is different.’”
Stand up, stand out
Southaven went 9-4 last season. Slaughter's best game came in a 41-7 victory over DeSoto Central, intercepting two passes and catching a pair of touchdowns. The season concluded in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs at Starkville.
“We’ve ended up with some good veteran leadership in that secondary group the past couple of years that really helped him flourish,” Stevenson said. “The biggest thing is just trying to enhance that side of him – having him understand that you’ve got to say stuff. ‘This is how you’ve got to handle things,’ but you’ve also got to make sure you’re taking care of your responsibilities in the process. Not everything can be sunshine and rainbows every time.”
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Slaughter committed to Tennessee on June 25, his mom’s birthday.
“My (official visit) went good,” Slaughter said. “I had a lot of fun being around more recruits, getting to know the coaches more and just spending quality time; just bonding.”
The Charger coaching staff has continually been impressed with Slaughter throughout his entire recruitment process, which also included offers from Florida State, Kentucky, Memphis, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
“John loves his teammates,” Patton said. “He kind of made it a point to take some different ones every time he went on a visit, just to give them that experience. He’s that kind of kid.”
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee football commit John Slaughter a top player in Mississippi
