The recruiting world continues to heat up, with many players part of the Class of 2023 announcing their commitment early before the high school season starts. There certainly isn’t a lack of talent around the region and one thing that we have noticed is that the coaching staff at Tennessee has made the Carolinas a priority, continuing to find success on the recruiting road.
The Volunteers have found success year after year in snagging some of the premier talents from North and South Carolina, and it doesn’t look like they are slowing down anytime soon. Most recently, Tennessee was able to make waves by snagging a verbal commitment from one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country and a dynamic scoring guard in 2023 Freddie Dilione. Dilione has risen up the national rankings quickly, as the 6’5 guard has shown to be a versatile prospect with his ability to be a prolific scorer and playmaker on the court. Currently, he is ranked as the top prospect in the state of North Carolina for 2023 by Phenom Hoops and should be highly ranked by all national outlets.
But that is just the latest success the Volunteers have had. In 2022, they were able to land the top prospect in the state of South Carolina in 2022 Julian Phillips. In 2021, they landed the top player in the state of North Carolina in 7-footer Jonas Aidoo. And the year before in 2020, Tennessee was able to snag the top player in South Carolina in Josiah James, who was a 5-star prospect by nearly all outlets.
To compete and be one of the premier programs in the SEC, Tennessee understands the importance of snagging top-tier talent and they have made it well known that the Carolinas is a hotbed of talent and they are making that region a high priority. Already snagging one of the top prospects in 2023, they may not be done yet with other offers on the table from North Carolina. And they are already making their presence felt here in the Class of 2024.