Donovan Starr gets advice from Van Jefferson

BRENTWOOD – Donovan Starr approaching an important decision.

Ravenwood four-star senior defensive back is committed to Auburn football, but recent offers from Alabama and Georgia they make the last month before signing day a little trickier. Starr needs to look more closely at his options.

Former Ravenwood star and current Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Van Jefferson it turned out to be a great resource. Jefferson, a Super Bowl champion with the Rams in 2022, spoke extensively with Starr about the recruiting process.

“He went through it at a high level like me. It was very helpful,” Starr said. “I talked to him on the phone, and he’s here all the time. He just told me to take all my visits, sit down with the family and weigh everything.”

Jefferson watched on Friday as Starr had an interception and a 55-yard touchdown in Ravenwood’s 21-3 win over Brentwood for the Region 6-6A championship. Raptors class 6A no. 1 (10-0, 5-0) will have a top seed in the TSSAA football playoffs, and Brentwood 8-2, 4-1) will be the No. 2 seed.

“Recruiting is hard. You want to make the right decision,” said Jefferson, who is out this weekend after Pittsburgh’s 26-18 win over the New York Giants on Monday. “You have all these coaches throwing all these things at you – and now these days you have NIL. I hope it doesn’t weigh him down too much. I hope he enjoys the process.”

Starr says he likes it, even if the latest developments have been unexpected. He has no choice but to weigh offers from Alabama and Georgia, which have combined for six national titles since 2015.

“It was pretty hectic, but I tried to hang in there,” Starr said. “It’s a good problem. I think they do a pretty good job of taking the fun out of it.”

Auburn is fine, Starr is exploring his options and making his final push to keep the 6-foot-1, 176-pound defensive back, who is Tennessee’s No. 10 player in the class of 2026 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Auburn cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff was also at Friday’s game against Brentwood. McGriff used to coach the defensive backs at Vanderbilt, and his son Jaylen attended Ravenwood.

“There are some connections there. I have a great relationship with (McGriff) and his son. It meant a lot that they were at this game,” Starr said.

That kind of attention matters during the recruiting process, said Jefferson, who signed with Oh miss came out of high school and also played at Florida.

“You have to look inside,” Jefferson said. “How does it feel like home? I always look at it like, what school wants you? Which school shows you that they want you the most?”

Starr’s interception halted Brentwood’s last meaningful drive as it tried to claw its way back into Friday’s game. In the first half, Maverick Chance hit it on a short route and ran past Brentwood’s secondary for Ravenwood’s first TD.

Jefferson is a regular face in Ravenwood’s schedule and remains close with Raptors coach Will Hester, but this was the first time he watched Starr in a game.

“You can see how fast he is,” Jefferson said. “He can definitely go to college and make an immediate impact.”

Contact sportswriter Tyler Palmateer at [email protected] and on Platform X, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.