What Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes said about 5-star forward Julian Phillips

Tennessee basketball announced Monday that 5-star forward Julian Phillips has signed an institutional aid agreement to attend school.

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Phillips is from Blythewood, South Carolina, and attends Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.

Phillips recruit plans to enroll at UT in June and aspires to major in communications.

Phillips committed to Tennessee on Thursday, giving the Vols a five-star prospect for the fourth straight class.

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"First of all, we love Julian and his family," UT coach Rick Barnes said in a school release. "He has the type of character and humility that we value in our program. Basketball-wise, his versatility and ability to impact the game in so many different ways is special. Julian is a three-level scorer, which is extremely valuable in our system. Defensively, we're very excited about his combination of length and athleticism, as it enables him to effectively guard multiple positions. We expect Julian to blend into our current team nicely and make an immediate impact."

Phillips is the No. 12 prospect in the 247Sports Composite for the 2022 class. He signed with LSU in November but was released from his letter of intent after Tigers coach Will Wade was fired in March.

He joins Knox Catholic guard B.J. Edwards in the 2022 class.

The Vols have three scholarship openings remaining.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes on Julian Phillips: 5-star