As No. 6 Tennessee prepares for its Saturday afternoon battle against Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, the Vols are also preparing for a big basketball recruiting weekend.
Tennessee is hosting a pair of class of 2025 recruits on visits this weekend around the game, a source told RTI. Four-star wing Shon Abaev is officially visiting Tennessee while four-star power forward E.J. Walker is coming in for an unofficial visit.
Abaev ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 66 player in the 2025 recruiting class according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-7 wing also ranks as the nation’s 14th best small forward and the seventh best prospect in the state of Florida.
The weekend official visit is Abaev’s first visit of his recruitment though he also has official visits scheduled to Illinois and Oregon later this season.
More From RTI: Everything To Know As Tennessee Basketball Faces Alabama On Saturday Afternoon
Walker ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 128 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward ranks as the nation’s 25th best power forward and the No.2 player in the state of Kentucky.
The Erlanger, Kentucky native is making his first trip to Tennessee this weekend but has visited a number of Big 10 schools including Purdue, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Tennessee basketball is looking for a marquee win when it hosts an Alabama team that’s won its last six games and is one of two SEC teams unbeaten in conference play.
Tipoff between the Crimson Tide and the Vols is at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes are on the call for ESPN2.
