Tennessee has a commitment from a five-star point guard in their 2019 class already in Josiah James. But on Thursday, another highly-rated guard in the 2019 class included the Vols in his list of top teams.
Tyrell Jones is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard out of Orlando, Florida. His recruitment blew up over the summer, and he received a slew of offers from some top programs in college basketball. Tennessee was one of those programs to offer him, and the Vols made his list of top teams he tweeted out on Thursday.
At this time I wanna thank all the colleges that recruited me but at this time here are the schools that have been recruiting me the hardest and I will decide from. #DECISIONS pic.twitter.com/WsRKA895OX
— Tyrell Jones (@TurboRell) September 27, 2018
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Jones is the No. 87 overall player in the country and the No. 11 combo guard in the 2019 class. Though he’s listed as a combo guard, he’ll be playing point guard in college.
Tennessee offered Jones back in mid-July, and he wasn’t even ranked by recruiting services when the Vols sent him an offer. He caught the attention of several teams for his play in summer leagues, and his explosive scoring ability as well as his ball-handling enticed several teams. He now holds over 35 offers,
The talented guard has already used three official visits this month, and he’ll be taking another one this weekend. Two of his three official visits so far have been to SEC schools, and his upcoming one is also to an SEC school. So far he’s taken official visits to Louisville, Auburn, and Ole Miss. He’ll take an official visit to Georgia this weekend, and he unofficially visited Florida in early August as well.
Jones’ highlight film shows off his incredible ball-handling talent and his confidence in his game. He carries himself with a swagger that most players don’t have, and he’s not afraid to shoot from anywhere on the court. But he’s not a selfish player by any means; he dishes off to his teammates plenty and can be seen directing traffic on the court as well. He plays with passion and isn’t afraid to drive inside either.
As a junior for West Oaks Academy, Jones averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 39.5 percent from three according to MaxPreps. He made a school-record 12 three-pointers during a game in late February in a 114-72 win.
Unless someone in Tennessee’s current 2019 class decommits, the Vols are likely done for the fall in this cycle. They only have room for three scholarship players to add to their roster for the 2019-20 class as of now, but if Jones waits to sign with a team till the spring signing period, then the Vols might still have room for him or another player. If someone off Tennessee’s current roster transfers or declares early for the NBA, that will free up another spot.
But as it stands, Jones may not have room in Tennessee’s 2019 class unless he waits for the second signing period. Regardless, the Vols are one of his top teams, and they were one of the teams to get in early on him this summer.
