Tennessee basketball commit Jahmai Mashack officially signed with the Volunteers on Wednesday, becoming the first signee for Rick Barnes in the class of 2021.
Mashack initially committed to Tennessee on Sept. 8. He plans to enroll at UT in the summer and will be a freshman for the Volunteers in 2021-22.
“Jahmai is a big, physical guard who is a great competitor and plays the game the right way,” Barnes said in a press release. “We love that he understands the importance of defense, team basketball and hard work. He’s got the mindset and athleticism we look for in a Vol, and we believe he’s just scratching the surface in terms of how special he can be on both ends of the floor. Jahmai comes from a terrific family and really fits our culture on and off the court. He’ll be fun to coach.”
Mashack is a top 50 player nationally out of Etiwanda High School. The 247Sports rankings consider him the No. 43 overall player in the country for the class of 2021, the ninth-best small forward and the fourth-best player in the state of California.
Rivals, who lists Mashack as a shooting guard, ranks the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder as the No. 48 overall player in the country and the 13th-best at his position.
“Tennessee was just DIFFERENT,” Mashack told Rocky Top Insider of his decision when he committed. “The Culture, the brotherhood, the work ethic, and it just fit my personality and style of play.
“The whole coaching staff is amazing. Coach Barnes treats all the coaches with a ton of respect and they all could already be head coaches. That said a lot about them in my eyes. Everyone is like family there.”
Mashack was the second commitment for Tennessee in the class of 2021, but is the first to sign. He joins five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler, who he’s excited about playing in the backcourt of Thompson-Boling Arena with.
“All players love to play with good point guards,” Mashack said. “Kennedy’s game is smooth and he’s unselfish and crafty. But when needs to score, he definitely can. We both play lockdown defense, so we would definitely give players a challenge and make an impact as freshmen.
“With me and him in the backcourt, I believe that we can be the best freshmen backcourt in the nation, so I’m excited.”
With both Mashack and Chandler on board, Tennessee currently has the 24th-best recruiting class in the country according to 247. The class ranks as the sixth-best in the SEC.
The Vols are well on their way to another elite recruiting class after signing the No. 4 overall class in the country during the 2020 cycle. That class included five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer, as well as four-star forward Corey Walker.
