Howdy! I live in one of those towns but I won’t say publicly which
I actually don’t know which cultivars are “best” in TN, from experience. My orchard will be planted in the spring of 2018.
However, a nursery here says KSU Atwood and Benson do well, along with Mango. They mentioned Overleese has not done great for them.
Not much info to go on. You could contact Hidden Springs Nursery to try to get a longer list of cultivars they’ve had success with. I don’t think any will outright fail - after all, we’re in the native range.
All pawpaws can tolerate full sun if they are at least one year old and, some experts say, 18 inches tall. Most people advise spring planting because the roots go totally dormant in winter and any damage incurred during planting cannot heal and disease can set in.
Trees will need likely lots of water that first year in the ground. If you shade them with shade cloth for a year it would reduce stress and possibly irrigation needs but is not considered by all to be required (some sources say to shade for multiple years). Deep mulching is a must.
I think what you’re doing is great!
I also like figs by the way but only have one tree (Celeste).
I’m happy to help with anything else.