Tennessee to host five-star power forward Jabari Smith on official visit

As Tennessee basketball sputters to the finish of a lost 2019-20 season, things are once again heating up on the recruiting trail. Rick Barnes is bringing in a historic class for next season and he’s looking to back that up with another group of elite prospects in 2021.

Tennessee is now set to host five-star power forward Jabari Smith on an official visit this weekend, where the Volunteers will host the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The 6-10, 210 pound power forward is now the 5th ranked prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Rankings. Smith is the 2nd ranked power forward in the 2021 class.

Smith took an official look at Auburn last weekend, where the Tigers came all the way back to beat the Volunteers from a 17 point deficit. Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech are also involved. Duke and Kentucky have remained interested in Smith, but have yet to offer just yet.

Tennessee is also coming hard after five-star power forward Paolo Banchero, who ranks 4th in the 2021 class overall. They’ve already hosted Banchero on an official visit, coming back in October. They also hosted five-star in-state point guard Kennedy Chandler on an official visit during that time.

With Tennessee getting Smith on campus, add him to the list of elite options for the Volunteers in the class of 2021. It’s going to be interesting to see if Barnes and his staff can keep up this elite pace on the trail.