The Auburn Tigers may be flipping another recruit from an SEC rival.

Three-star defensive lineman and Tennessee commit darrion smith was on the Plains for Auburn’s thrilling win over No. 19 Texas A&M on Saturday, and he described the visit as “one of the best college visits I have had.”

The Baltimore, Maryland native went on the describe the atmosphere within Jordan-Hare stadium during the Tigers four overtime victory in a recent interview with On3.

“The game, I don’t even know what type of words to put it in,” Smith said. “It was a thriller. It was definitely the craziest game I have been to so far.”

A consensus top 12 prospect from the state of Maryland, Smith committed to the Tennessee Volunteers in July of this year. That hasn’t stopped the high school senior from touring campuses across the country, and On3 expert Cole Pinkston felt confident enough after Smith’s latest visit to predict a flip to Auburn with “60 percent confidence.”

While Smith won’t make his official decision until early December, the Tigers seem like the likely favorite after last weekend, especially after the love the three-star recruit received from the Auburn family.

“The family, how close everybody is. Not even just the coaches, but the town,” said Smith. “People were just coming up to me. It’s different. I’ve never had that before. It’s definitely very family oriented.”

If Auburn can flip the talented pass-rusher, Hugh Freeze and his staff would improve on what already is a top-five recruiting class in the nation. With plenty of other recruits up in the air, it is feasible the Tigers could end the signing period with one of their best recruiting classes in program history.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — House Republicans have selected their leadership for the next Tennessee General Assembly, electing familiar faces to the top roles.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton will reprise the key spot with a unanimous vote from the House Republican caucus.

“I truly appreciate the support and confidence my colleagues have placed in me to continue in my role as speaker,” Sexton said. “Tennessee continues to grow and thrive because of our conservative philosophies and our dedication to preserving Tennesseans’ freedom and liberty. We will continue fighting for solutions that strengthen and protect Tennessee families and communities.”

Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, will slide into second in command as House majority leader.

“It is uplifting to witness the political shift across our nation this year, with Americans overwhelmingly voting to defend conservative values at every level of government,” Lamberth said. “Our caucus is unified in our commitment to pursue the extraordinary vision of Tennesseans who put their faith in us to lead. Tennessee is stronger than ever. I’m thankful for the opportunity to build on our tradition of good governance for the 114th General Assembly.”

Both Sexton and Lamberth were reelected for fourth terms.

Other leadership positions include:

• Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, as caucus chairman
• Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, as majority whip
• Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, as speaker pro tempore
• Rep. Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, assistant majority leader
• Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray, as caucus vice chair
• Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown as secretary
• Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, as treasurer
• Rep. Fred Atchley, R-Sevierville, as freshman floor leader

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at emily.west@newschannel5.com.

Vanderbilt wasn’t able to accomplish their goal of beating the flailing LSU Tigers this past weekend, but they do have another opportunity to cause chaos in the last game of the regular season.

The Commodores now sit with a 6-5 record, having already secured their spot in a bowl game, but they can play a huge part in how the College Football Playoff might look like if they can knock off their in-state rivals this weekend.

Tennessee has had an interesting year so far, looking like juggernauts early in the season before their offense stumbled and turned them into a beatable team.

That’s what Vanderbilt is hoping to do.

After years of being outclassed by their SEC competition, they have given just about everyone they’ve faced a challenge this season by beating Alabama, losing in overtime to Missouri and losing in one-score games against Texas and LSU.

Tennessee knows they can’t take Vanderbilt lightly, understanding the Commodores would love nothing more than to potentially eliminate the Volunteers from national championship contention.

Josh Heupel was quick to praise Vanderbilt during the early part of the week, making sure to not give the upset-minded Commodores bulletin board material.

“Big road game. Playing a really good football team in Vanderbilt. You look at what they’ve done throughout the season, but statistically they do a great job of tying all three phases together. They play complementary football. They’re smart. They’re tough. They’re physical. They’re disciplined. They make you earn it,” he said per Grant Ramey of Volquest.

In the past, that might have been viewed as lip service, but this year, it’s a warning to his team.

Vanderbilt can play with anyone in the SEC, and with the rule changes that don’t stop the clock whenever a team gets a first down, they have used their modified offense that has triple option running principles to control the game.

With Tennessee having a tough time scoring at different parts of the season, that could be a real issue for them.

The Commodores are hoping their star quarterback, Diego Pavia, can muster up one final elite performance in the finale despite him dealing with multiple injuries.

He’s been a major part of Vanderbilt’s success this year, giving them a real duel-threat option who has challenged their opponents in multiple ways.

Pavia likely already leaves Nashville as a program legend despite being on campus for just one season, but if he can pull off this upset, he would certainly lock down that status.