LOOK: 5-star EDGE Samuel M'Pemba on official visit to Tennessee

Saint Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy five-star EDGE Samuel M’Pemba took his official visit to Tennessee this weekend. He witnessed a classic, with the Volunteers defeating Alabama 52-49 in a top-ten matchup.

On the trip, M’Pemba interacted with prospects including Franklin (Ga.) IMG Academy four-star EDGE Jonathan Echols, who committed to Tennessee on July 4. M’Pemba and Echols, who are high school teammates, took a photograph with one another at Neyland Stadium.

IMG ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s on Rocky Top @SMPEMBA5 @jechols24 pic.twitter.com/rVhfONURfg

— Matthew Ray (@matt_ray_) October 15, 2022

M’Pemba is the No. 22 overall prospect and No. 4 EDGE in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 5 player in Florida.

“You can see the development,” M’Pemba told On3’s Chad Simmons about Tennessee. “(Head coach) Josh Heupel’s a good leader, what he’s doing with the staff, what’s he’s doing with the players. You can tell they’ve been developing. They’re building. It’s good to see.”

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Georgia has a commanding lead for his commitment at 93.4%. He is taking an official visit to Athens on Nov. 4

RPM was released to the public in December. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. 

It factors in machine learning, social sentiment, visits and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.

M’Pemba has an On3 NIL Valuation of $209K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Samuel M’Pemba On3 Scouting Summary

The following is the On3 Scouting Summary for Samuel M’Pemba:

“Physically-developed two-way athlete, with the highest projected ceiling as an EDGE prospect. Played as a pass rusher and wide receiver at his initial high school prior to transferring to IMG Academy as a junior. Primarily played as a tight end/h-back at IMG during the fall of 2021. A strong athlete with dip and feel for rushing the passer. Had considerable murkiness around his ultimate position. Practicing at EDGE in the spring for IMG and looks primed to make an impact as a pass rusher.

“Measured at 6-foot-3.5, 240 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wing-span prior to his senior season. Tests as a solid to good athlete, clocking an electronically-timed 4.94 second 40-yard dash prior to his senior season. Would benefit greatly from a permanent move to defense as a senior, in our opinion.Practicing at EDGE in the spring and looks good there. Can continue to improve initial quickness but savvy and has natural pass rush ability.”