John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats had the no. 1st class in 2020. Of course, they would also like to run in the best boys for 2021.
But today, one of the top guards in the class chose to take his talents to Knoxville because Kennedy Chandler committed himself to the Tennessee Volunteers. His other finalists included the Wildcats, Memphis Tigers, Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Chandler is the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 class overall the No. 11 player, according to the 247 Sports Composition. The Tennessee native has had the Vols on his roster for a while, but other riders were happy to see Chandler move to Kansas later this year for his final season of high school hoops, in hopes of the state Tennessee (both Rick Barnes and Penny Hardaway) would lose their grip.
But in the end, Tennessee was too much to overcome for schools like Kentucky, which continues its search for a 2021 point guard.
Rick Barnes really killed it in Tennessee. Chandler is probably his best get as a recruiter, but he has quietly built a top-tier program in Knoxville with every year a chance at the SEC championship. And now that he’s recruiting recruits every season, it goes without saying that the Volunteers are here to stay.
Chandler was a high priority for Kentucky for 2021. However, recruiting Skyy Clark in 2022 could eventually reshuffle. If Kentucky lands him, Chandler’s loss will sting a little less. That’s until they see him on the court during league games, that is.
Kentucky is still on a lot of top recruits for 2021, so it’s not out of the question to believe that Coach Cal can pull off another No. 1 class. The only thing that confirmed today’s announcement is that Kennedy Chandler will not be a part of it.
In addition, Chandler and colleague 2021 recruit Paolo Banchero discussed teaming in college. Now that Chandler is committed to Tennessee, you should think the Vols are in much better shape for Banchero, one of Kentucky’s most outstanding goals in 2021.
