AP photo by Michael Conroy / Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes has put together a 2020 signing class that is ranked as one of the nation's best by 247Sports.com.KNOXVILLE - Tennessee cemented one of the best men's basketball signing classes in school history Wednesday, when five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer and four-star swingman Corey Walker signed letters of intent with the Volunteers.
Tennessee announced Johnson and Walker had signed. Springer announced his signing on social media, but it had not yet been announced by the university.
With the trio of signees, 247Sports.com ranked the Vols' 2020 class No. 4 nationally, behind blue bloods Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky. Wednesday was the start of an early signing period for Division I basketball.
Walker was the first player in the group to commit to the Vols and the first to sign. The 6-foot-6, 185-pounder preps at Hargrave Military Academy - as did current Tennessee freshman Davonte Gaines - and is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 38 recruit in the country, the No. 8 small forward nationally and the No. 4 player in Virginia.
He was followed by Johnson, who announced he was joining the program in August. The 6-5, 180-pounder averaged 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.4 blocks per game at Bell Buckle's Webb School as a junior and is ranked as the top player in Tennessee, the No. 23 player in the country and the No. 5 shooting guard nationally. Last season he shot 58% from the field, hit 64 3-pointers while shooting 38% behind the arc and made 65% of his free throws.
Springer is ranked one spot higher than Johnson as a shooting guard and No. 16 overall. The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder plays for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and averaged 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals a game as a junior.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.