Saturday is a big day for Tennessee’s basketball team for a multitude of reasons.
Not only are the seventh-ranked Vols (25-3, 13-2 SEC) taking on No. 4 Kentucky (24-4, 13-2 SEC) at 2:00 Eastern in Thompson-Boling Arena, but they’ll also be hosting a number of high-profile recruits on visits. One of them is one of the top players in the 2020 recruiting class.
Five-star shooting guard Jaden Springer is reportedly taking an official visit to Tennessee this weekend as they host Kentucky for a huge rematch according to StockRisers.com. Springer has unofficially visited the Vols before, but this will be his first official visit to Knoxville.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Springer is the No. 12 overall player and No. 4 shooting guard in the 2020 cycle. The 6-foot-4 guard plays for IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to his transfer to IMG Academy, he played for Rocky River High School in North Carolina and was the top-ranked player in North Carolina.
Springer holds offers from Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, NC State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Auburn, and many other programs.
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During the summer last year as part of the BMaze Elite team — the team led by former Vol point guard Bobby Maze — in the AAU circuit, Springer averaged 19.5 points per game and shot 48.3 percent from the field according to Prep Circuit. He also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the circuit.
This season for IMG Academy, Springer averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 12 recorded games on Prep Circuit. He shot 52 percent overall and made 36 of his 40 free throws.
Springer’s highlights are so fun to watch. He has a nasty mid-range game that is extremely difficult to guard. He can stop on a dime and pull-up for his shot, and he can hit fadeaway jumpers as well. He has really good ball-handling skills and solid awareness on the court. He’s an exceptional all-around player, and it’s very easy to see why he’s considered one of the top players in high school in the 2020 class.
Springer isn’t the only highly-rated basketball prospect expected on campus on Saturday, though.
Elite small forward Corey Walker Jr. is also supposed to be in Knoxville for the Tennessee-Kentucky game. The 6-foot-6 forward out of Jacksonville is rated by the 247Sports Composite rankings as the No. 31 overall player and No. 8 small forward in the 2020 class. The regular 247Sports rankings list him as a five-star and the No. 23 overall prospect.
Walker has recently visited the Vols earlier this month, and he’s been heavily interested in Tennessee. He also holds offers from Memphis, Georgetown, Arizona, Xavier, Auburn, Florida, Maryland, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and many others.
Both Springer and Walker are two of the Vols’ top targets in the 2020 cycle. Four-star guard and top in-state player Keon Johnson, four-star power forward P.J. Hall, and five-star center Walker Kessler are among Tennessee’s other top priorities in the 2020 class right now.
Tennessee’s football team also has a big recruiting weekend ahead of them, as they’ll be hosting a number of prospects on visits for a Junior Day event on Saturday. Expect to see both football and basketball recruits in attendance at Saturday’s game.
The No. 7 Vols tip-off against No. 4 Kentucky at 2:00 PM Eastern in Knoxville.
