Five-star, class of 2023 small forward Justin Edwards included Tennessee in his top six schools and one professional option on Thursday night.
2023 five-star Justin Edwards is down to six schools and the G-League, he tells @On3Recruits.
Story: https://t.co/SODijsBqpQ pic.twitter.com/bvff7PDnMI
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 28, 2022
Kentucky, Auburn, Kansas, Maryland and Villanova make up the Philadelphia native’s top seven as well as the NBA G-League.
Tennessee and assistant coach Rod Clark have been pursuing the five-star wing hard since offering him last May. According to 247sports, Edwards has visited just three schools, seeing Maryland last summer, Kentucky for a football game in the fall and officially visiting Tennessee for the Arkansas basketball game.
Edwards is one of the top high school juniors in the country, ranking as the No. 10 player and No. 5 small forward in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings.
With the number quality programs pursuing Edwards, lading a commitment from the 6-foot-7 small forward will be extremely challenging. However, Clark has seemingly put Tennessee on solid ground in Edwards’ recruitment and the Vols are in the thick of it.
Kentucky has been extremely active recruiting Edwards as well, visiting with the five-star in Philadelphia a handful of times.
The NCAA rule change allowing basketball recruits to take official visits during both their junior and senior years of high school means the Vols can get Edwards back on campus in the fall.
While Tennessee actively recruits Edwards, they’re looking to fill out its roster for the 2022-23 season. The Vols have four open scholarships after Justin Powell entered the transfer portal earlier this week.
