Tennessee basketball: Vols most likely to leave early in 2021

Size: 6’8″ 219 pounds; Hometown: Hastings, Fla.

Another potential wing player who finished his career at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., Corey Walker Jr. arrived in Virginia after being at Bishop Snyder High School in Florida. He isn’t getting the hype others received in Tennessee basketball’s top five 2020 recruiting class, but he could provide a ton of value as well.

Walker was a unanimous four-star recruit with a ton of potential, and his size allows him to be the Yves Pons waiting in the wing. After all, he showed the ability to play wing in high school and stretch the floor, but he’s listed as a power forward.

Those are factors that will likely allow him to play this year. The problem is how loaded the Vols are on the front court. With Pons back, Rick Barnes could go one of two ways. He could play big and start John Fulkerson, E.J. Anosike and Pons, in which case Walker would compete with two other guys for one of the backup forward roles.

Barnes could also maximize his five-stars and only start two post players. At that point, Walker would be buried in the depth chart. Combine that with his status as a freshman, and he’s not going to be ready for the NBA next year. He just has a better chance than Drew Pember or Davonte Gaines, benefitting from what we don’t know about him.