Tennessee football landed four-star cornerback Onis Konanbanny, an international athlete who moved to the United States in 2022.

On Friday, Konanbanny committed to the Vols in the 2025 class. He joins what’s already UT’s highest ranked recruiting class since 2015.

Konanbanny’s parents are from the Ivory Coast. But he was born in France, where he lived during his childhood. He moved to London and then finally the United States.

Onis Konanbanny 247 ranking

Konanbanny, 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, is entering his senior season at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, South Carolina.

Konanbanny is ranked the No. 28 cornerback and No. 302 player overall in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports Composite. Four cornerbacks are committed to Tennessee in the 2025 class, but Konanbanny is the highest rated.

Konanbanny chose Tennessee over LSU, North Carolina, Florida State and Utah. He received scholarship offers from more than 40 schools.

He’s also an accomplished soccer player and track and field athlete.

Tennessee football recruiting class 2025

Konanbanny can sign with Tennessee on Dec. 4, when the early signing period begins. He is the Vols’ 24th commitment in the 2025 class, which includes one five-star recruit, 14 four stars and nine three stars.

Here are the committed recruits in Tennessee’s 2025 class, along with their 247Sports Composite star rating:

• OT David Sanders, five stars
• QB George MacIntyre, four stars
• OL Douglas Utu, four stars
• TE Da’Saahn Brame, four stars
• S Lagonza Hayward, four stars
• DL Mariyon Dye, four stars
• WR Travis Smith, four stars
• LB Jaedon Harmon, four stars
• DL Ethan Utley, four stars
• LB Christian Gass, four stars
• WR Radarious Jackson, four stars
• DE Jayden Loftin, four stars
• OL Nic Moore, four stars
• CB Onis Konanbanny, four stars
• TE Jack Van Dorselaer, four stars
• RB Justin Baker, three stars
• S Sidney Walton, three stars
• OT Antoni Kade Ogumoro, three stars
• CB Tre Poteat, three stars
• CB Dylan Lewis, three stars
• DL Charles House, three stars
• DL Darrion Smith, three stars
• WR Joakim Dodson, three stars
• CB Tyler Redmond, three stars

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Preseason practice offers a glimpse at depth chart strengths and weaknesses. We’re left with some questions.

One player we’re not questioning: Nico Iamaleava. The buzz around Tennessee’s redshirt freshman quarterback is reminiscent of the hype surrounding Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler and Condredge Holloway. Iamaleava is worthy of that hype.

Some other positions are on squishier footing.

On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams discuss three burning questions that remain unanswered as preseason practice winds down and the Week 1 game against Chattanooga nears.

Is Tennessee football’s Cam Seldon healthy and ready?

Tennessee’s running back depth remains an area of concern. Dylan Sampson is dependable atop the depth chart, but the situation gets murkier after that. The Vols will be better position after Cam Seldon returns from a shoulder injury.

When will that be?

TOPPMEYER: Will Alabama football get in playoff? Making my final 12-team CFP predictions

ADAMS: Why I believe alternate uniforms can pay off for Tennessee football

SPARKS: How Chris Brazzell went from ignored Texas receiver recruit to Tennessee football transfer gem

Seldon wore a non-contact jersey during practice periods that were open to reporters in the preseason, but coach Josh Heupel recently said that Seldon is “full go.”

Whether “full go” means Seldon will play against Chattanooga is unclear. More important will be having him healthy against NC State in Week 2. A shoulder injury is no small deal for a running back.

Will Bru McCoy return to form?

McCoy suffered a serious ankle injury last season that cut his season short after five games. Watching him in practice this month, you wouldn’t know he was ever injured. He’s returned to form and will be part of the first-tier wide receiver rotation that includes Squirrel White and transfer Chris Brazzell II.

As to who will lead Tennessee in receptions, that’s another question. White is the smart choice. The ball comes to the slot receiver a lot in Heupel’s offense. White led the offense in receptions last season, and he’ll probably do it again. But a healthy McCoy makes the offense much more dynamic.

Will Boo Carter start the opener? And will Vols really start walk-on safety Will Brooks?

Let’s take Carter first: The four-star true freshman is talented enough to start as Tennessee’s nickelback, but defensive coordinator Tim Banks usually favors older players. Against Chattanooga, Carter must prove he’s ready for a big role.

Walk-ons tend to generate preseason buzz before falling behind scholarship players once the season arrives. Brooks isn’t fading, though. Expect him to earn snaps at safety.

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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist and a published author. John Adams is the News Sentinel’s senior columnist and a two-time published author. Adam Sparks covers the Vols with award-winning coverage for the News Sentinel. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – As summer comes to a close, an invasive species of insects are beginning to make its way around East Tennessee.

Fall armyworms are pests that eat agricultural items, but they mainly like to feast on one thing: grass.

Dr. Midhula Gireesh, a turf grass and ornamental pest specialist with the University of Tennessee, said these pests can be troublesome for homeowners.

“They can eat or chew up the foliage, and they really prefer grasses and even though they are also like known for being agricultural pests, crop pests, they can also be attacking your lawns,” Gireesh said.

Their name can be misleading. While they do come up primarily in the fall, they are not worms, but more like caterpillars that become moths. While they are young, they feast on grass and the older they get, the more they eat.

“As they grow bigger in size, like the later in stir caterpillars. They are like aggressive feeders, so if there is like a full armyworm, a numerous full armyworm for instance, then probably you can see your lawn turning brown in some time,” Gireesh said.

The invasion of fall armyworms is an annual thing. Each year, the population of these pests varies but they can still wreak havoc on farms, lawns and fields.

“Some years, so it can be like more population coming in versus other years. This year looks like it’s it’s going to be like you know more for armyworms,” Gireesh said.

These insects migrate from the south, whether that be Mexico, South America or Florida. They naturally move north but can also come up due to storms.

Locally, President of Wayne’s Pest Control Shawn Hollis said grasses and fields are being affected.

“We had kind of a wet summer here at the end, and we are starting to see some damage in lawns and even some hayfields. I know other fields have been affected so we;re starting to see quite a bit of uptick in activity,“ Hollis said.

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