Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes Add Exciting Tennessee Transfer Safety John Slaughter

Slaughter committed to Colorado on Wednesday morning after two years on Rocky Top. The native of Southaven, Mississippi, recently visited with the Purdue Boilermakers before deciding on coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

The safety appeared in 22 games with the Volunteers, primarily as a special teamer. Slaughter tallied five tackles (three solo, half a tackle for loss) after just one total tackle in his freshman year. In 2024, he snared his first career interception in the fourth quarter against the UTEP Miners and recovered an onside kick earlier in the season against the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Slaughter was somewhat buried in the depth chart after highly touted defensive back Boo Carter joined the fray, subsequently pursuing a new home. He becomes the sixth transfer portal addition of the spring window for Colorado, joining former Auburn Tigers safety Terrance Love and Illinois State Redbirds cornerback Teon Parks as April's reinforcements at defensive back.

At his hometown Southaven High School, Slaughter became a two-time team captain, consensus three-star prospect and the No. 8 player in Mississippi by 247Sports. He was named Mississippi's 2022 6A Defensive Player of the Year after logging over 50 tackles and three interceptions as a senior.

As Southaven, he briefly crossed paths with former Buffs offensive lineman Kahlil Benson. Slaughter garnered offers from the Florida State Seminoles, Kentucky Wildcats and Maryland Terrapins before eventually deciding on Tennessee.

The Buffs' safety room was thin entering the offseason, suffering losses like Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig and Shilo Sanders to graduation. Slaughter brings extensive experience on special teams and a strong high school background on early downs to a unit consisting of Love, four-star freshman TJ Branch Jr. and USF Bulls transfer Tawfiq Byard.