Five-star Samuel M’Pemba set for official visit during Tennessee-Alabama

Tennessee is set for their biggest game since the mid-2000s, and they’ll be hosting one of their biggest targets in the class of 2023 during. Samuel M’Pemba, a five-star edge rusher from the IMG Academy, will be taking his official look at Knoxville on Saturday.

M’Pemba will see Neyland at its absolute best, as Tennessee tries to topple Alabama for the first time since 2006.

According to 247Sports, M’Pemba is the 24th ranked player in the class and the second rated edge rusher in the country. The 6-4, 240 pound prospect is originally from the St. Louis area.

Tennessee has put star defensive line developer Rodney Garner on his case.

Initially ranked as an athlete, M’Pemba played on both sides of the ball. He got time at receiver and defensive line, but most analysts now agree that highest ceiling will be found coming off of the edge. Still, that time playing receiver illustrates just how good of an athlete this guy is.

M’Pemba has already seen Knoxville once this year, visiting back in June for an unofficial look. The Volunteers have stayed in this battle, and now will bring their best shot in their biggest game this weekend.

Georgia, LSU, Miami and Alabama are a few of the others battling to land M’Pemba. The Georgia Bulldogs currently hold four crystal ball projections for M’Pemba, per 247Sports.

Edge rusher isn’t exactly a need for Tennessee, but stacking stars at that particular position is never a bad thing. Joshua Josephs and James Pearce headlined last year’s class, while Caleb Herring and Chandavian Bradley lead this year’s class.