Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
Knoxville, TN (Future150) -- Rick Barnes may have traded in one shade of orange for another, but his ability to evaluate is still the same. After taking over as the Vols head man, Barnes has done a great job of jumping on under-the-radar talent and closing the deal before other high-majors attempt to do the same.
On Friday morning, Barnes pulled it off for a third time in this class, landing Christ School (NC) F John Fulkerson. The Kingsport, TN native is a highly-skilled combo forward who drew a lot of interest this summer, and his ability to play either position played a factor in that.
Barnes has historically succeeded with guys like Fulkerson, Conner Lammert being the most recent forward to reach his potential under Barnes. Fulkerson will need to put weight on and improve his ball-handling, but it's not a stretch to say he may be an All-SEC player his junior or senior season.
He joins the likes of Nashville native Jordan Bone, a fast rising lead guard; As well as Jalen Johnson, a small forward out of NC with a ton of upside. With another NC native in Grant Williams deciding next Friday, there may be another sneaky-good addition occuring in Knoxville sooner rather than later.
The SEC has seen a resurgence in recruiting over the past few months and Tennessee is part of that thanks to the recruiting efforts of Rick Barnes and company.
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