KNOXVILLE - It was inevitable one of the six scholarship freshmen in the Tennessee men's basketball program would redshirt this season.
The Volunteers have identified which rookie it will be.
After Tuesday night's 103-94 win against Appalachian State, coach Rick Barnes said Jalen Johnson, the 6-foot-5, 177-pound wing from North Carolina, would not play this season.
"We obviously have a lot of numbers," Barnes said, "and we wouldn't do that and I've never believed in redshirting guys you didn't have a great belief in to be really good. I think that Jalen is one of our more skilled players, and I think he's a talent, but the last 10 days leading up to the games, he really wore down a little bit physically.
"He's worked really hard at trying to get his weight up. He's been a real pleasure to coach. It was a tough decision, and we really weren't even thinking about it until really the last 10 days."
Johnson was rated a three-star prospect by 247sports and Rivals, the latter ranking him the No. 130 overall player in the 2016 class, which makes him the highest-rated recruit in Tennessee's six-player signing class.
The High Point Wesleyan Christian graduate committed to Tennessee last fall following official visits to Florida and Providence, and his scholarship offers included Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Southern California.
"We're excited," Barnes said, "because we think he's a guy that we project as being a guy that a year from now, when Robert Hubbs leaves, that would be a position we would see him stepping in. I think it's going to be a great year for him.
"Guys like Kyle Alexander have told him they wish they would have redshirted. Could you imagine Kyle if he would've been able to redshirt, where he is right now? Lamonte Turner told me he thought the best thing that happened to him was having the chance to sit out.
"I think it's going to be a great thing for Jalen, because we think he's got a great, great future ahead of him."
Johnson was a high school teammate of fellow Tennessee freshman Kwe Parker, who sat out the first two games of the season with a left foot injury. Freshman guards Jordan Bone and Jordan Bowden started Tuesday night, and forwards Grant Williams and John Fulkerson have solidified rotation spots.
"Jalen has freakish potential," Williams said, "just with his size and his athleticism and just the basketball player that he is. He's a talented guy. I don't think he needed the redshirt, because Jalen's a tough guy. He's going to play hard. He's going to do whatever Coach asks him. He's just a great guy, and I understand his potential is immense.
"He's going to do well. That extra year is going to give him something most college athletes don't normally get. He's going to use it pretty well."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.