NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing Kennedy Chandler’s final five

Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee represents another in-state program heavily involved in this recruiting battle. A budding program that has experienced a ton of success under head coach Rick Barnes, there is reason to believe that the Volunteers are a strong contender to land Chandler.

This optimism starts with the fact that Coach Barnes has shown the ability to “close” on five-star talents since taking over in Knoxville. That is evident in his 2020 recruiting class, which features Top 20 prospects Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson while being ranked at No. 4 in the nation. Tennessee has also been successful on the court recently and will enter this coming season as a preseason Top 25 team.

Tennessee clearly has plenty of momentum and that could carry over into the 2021 class. The Volunteers have been prioritizing Chandler for a long time and he took a visit to campus in October along with five-star forward Paolo Banchero. It might also be worth mentioning that Tennessee is one of the three schools that made the final lists for both players and they have been rumored to be interested in playing together in college.

Chandler has spoken highly of his relationships with Rick Barnes and assistant coach Kim English on several occasions over the last few months as it feels like Tennessee is in pretty good shape here. Relationships are key in long-term recruitments featuring a bunch of high-profile programs and Tennessee might have an edge in that department.

There does not appear to be a clear favorite for Chandler’s commitment but Tennessee seems to be one of the leaders. The Volunteers can offer immediate playing time in a starring role likely alongside fellow top-tier prospects while also being able to stay in his home state. They might not be a blueblood like some of the others in this list, but Tennessee can boast plenty of recent successes in recruiting and on the floor.