MEMPHIS – Tennessee has its first commitment of the 2021 recruiting class, in 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler.
Chandler announced his commitment on SportsCenter’s Instagram Live on Friday, picking the Vols over Kentucky, Memphis, Duke and North Carolina.
“They recruited me ever since they knew who I was,” said Chandler. “On my official visit it just felt like home.
“Rick Barnes is a great coach, he’s going to be a Hall of Fame coach one day. He tells great stories about how he coached the old point guards at Texas – DJ Augustin, TJ Ford. He said I could be the next TJ Ford, and I’m looking forward to him coaching me.”
When asked about who he wants to bring with him to Knoxville, Chandler mentioned other top recruits Tennessee has been pursuing in the 2021 class, including 5-star forwards Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith.
“I’m really looking forward to going to the Final Four and winning a national championship and bringing energy and excitement to Thompson-Boling Arena,” Chandler said.
Rated the No. 12 prospect in the country by the 247Sports Composite, Chandler is also the nation’s top point guard.
Just 6-foot-1, and 165-pounds, Chandler displays plenty of explosiveness on the offensive end and is widely praised for his defensive aggressiveness. The in-state product is also the highest-rated prospect to commit to UT since Tobias Harris pledged to then-head coach Bruce Pearl in 2010.
After the announcement, SportsCenter’s official Twitter account posted a video on Chandler’s decision.
🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/KV3gBpNa2Y
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 14, 2020
“I will always rep my city, but I want to play for my state,” the Tennessee commit said.
Chandler will play out his senior season at Briarcrest Christian in Memphis this year, before joining Tennessee as part of the 2021 class.