Former Tennessee guard Jalen Johnson transfers again, this time to Wake Forest

It was an understandable move for Jalen Johnson to move on from Tennessee. The veteran guard never really seemed to settle in and find a consistent role in Knoxville. Also working against Johnson was Tennessee’s recent elite recruiting.

The Volunteers added five-star guard Josiah-Jordan James in last year’s class, then added five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer in this year’s class. Santiago Vescovi and transfer Victor Bailey were also added to the guard rotation. All of that essentially forced Johnson to look elsewhere for playing time.

Johnson appeared to find it just down the road at ETSU with Steve Forbes. He announced the transfer a couple of months back, joining a strong mid-major program. But things changed once Forbes took the Wake Forest job.

On Monday, Johnson announced that he would be following Forbes to Wake Forest. It’s a homecoming for Johnson, who is from High Point, North Carolina — about 30 minutes away from his new school.

Wake Forest went 13-18 last season under Danny Manning.

Johnson averaged 15 minutes per game as a junior. He averaged 3.5 points per game, while shooting 31 percent from three-point range. The 6-6, 196 pound guard now has one final chance to make an impact on the college basketball world, while helping Forbes begin to get his program off of the ground.