Tennessee’s basketball coaching staff is putting a huge emphasis on their 2019 class and trying to bring in some highly talented players for their 2019-20 roster. And while the Vols have already offered a great deal of prospects in the cycle and have begun narrowing their focus, they’re still open to the possibilities of reaching out to new players.
And that’s exactly what they did this week.
According to Corey Evans of Rivals.com, Tennessee put out an offer to elite small forward C.J. Walker in the 2019 class. Walker is a four-star and is ranked inside the top-100 overall players by both Rivals and 247Sports.
Tennessee has offered Rivals150 forward CJ Walker @Volquest_Rivalshttps://t.co/Yx34eyrkFd
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) April 30, 2018
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Walker is the No. 86 overall player in the country and the No. 26 small forward in the 2019 class. Walker plays for the prestigious Orlando Christian Prep school for high school, and he was teammates with class of 2018 North Carolina signee and five-star small forward Nassir Little.
Walker picked up offers from both Tennessee and Louisville on the same day, and he adds those offers to ones he already has from Xavier, Wichita State, Georgetown, VCU, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Vanderbilt, and others.
Though he’s listed at 6-foot-7, 180 pounds, he looks a little thinner than even that. He’ll need to put on weight in college, but even with his somewhat slight frame, he can absolutely ball. He’s extremely athletic, can jump out of the building, and has all the physical tools a coach could want in a versatile forward. He’s stood out during Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League during the early portion of the AAU circuit this year, and he did enough for Rick Barnes and his coaching staff to go ahead and give him an offer.
Tennessee already has a small forward committed in their 2019 class, and that’s from three-star Davonte Gaines from New York. The Vols may be looking to add a second forward in their 2019 class, or they could be gauging interest from other players at the position in case something happens. Gaines has been committed to Tennessee since July 1st of 2017.
The Vols have now offered 34 prospects in the 2019 cycle, and only seven of those players classify as small forwards. But it doesn’t appear as though Tennessee is pursuing any other small forwards other than keeping in contact with Gaines and now offering Walker.
