Tennessee makes the final six for five-star forward Paolo Banchero

One of Tennessee’s top targets in the 2021 class has trimmed his list to six schools. Paolo Banchero, a five-star forward out of Seattle, included Tennessee alongside of Kentucky, Washington, Gonzaga, Arizona and Duke.

Banchero is the 4th ranked player in the 2021 class according to 247Sports, checking in at 6-9, 235 pounds. He’s the top ranked power forward in the country and would be a welcomed addition to Tennessee’s front court, which is set to lose John Fulkerson and Yves Pons after this season.

Tennessee pieced together an elite class during the 2020 cycle with Keon Johnson, Jaden Springer and Corey Walker. They’re trying to do that again in 2021 by potentially pairing Banchero with five-star guard Kennedy Chandler. The pair took an official visit to Tennessee back in October.Chandler plans to release his final schools later today, which Tennessee will undoubtedly be a part of.

Jabari Smith, Harrison Ingram and Moussa Cisse are some other elite names to watch for in this class.

Banchero averaged over 22 points per game as a junior last season while adding 11 rebounds. He projects as a true power forward at the next level with plenty of room to fill out and get stronger.