Tennessee picked up its third commitment in eight days this afternoon with four star wing D.J. Jefferson pulling the trigger on his pledge to the Vols.

Jefferson (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) was a fast riser this spring after a strong senior season at Minnesota Preparatory Academy in St. Paul. An ultra athletic guard, Jefferson originally signed with Tulsa last November.

After Tulsa and head coach Frank Haith parted ways Jefferson unsurprisingly asked for and got a release and then re-opened his recruitment. Tennessee was one of the first programs to reach out to Jefferson and today the Vols’ efforts were rewarded.

“It’s really because of Coach Barnes, just his history,” Jefferson said of the biggest motivation behind him deciding to choose Tennessee. “He’s got a lot of history under his belt and I feel like I want to come here and help him gain some more history and make some history for myself as well being a Volunteer.

“I’m not even from here, but just based on how they treated me when I first got here they treated me like family. I didn’t feel like a stranger or anything at all. To be honest I just can’t wait to get here.”

Jefferson kept his decision under his hat for five days after his official visit to Knoxville but he couldn’t resist letting the Vols’ coaching staff know his intentions before he left town.

“When I told them we were at a restaurant and after everybody was done eating is when I told them and everybody was all happy. That just made me feel even more at home,” Jefferson said.

“When I told them I was coming everybody was smiling. They were all ears, and when they heard me they were just like, ‘are you for real?’. I was going to wait until I got back home but then I thought it would be better to tell them while I was here.”

Jefferson was already inclined to think positively of Barnes and the Tennessee program because of his relationship with former Tulsa head coach Frank Haith, the coach who originally recruited and signed him last fall.

Haith worked as an assistant coach under Barnes at Texas and the two have maintained a close relationship.

That helped Tennessee get a foot in the door, but the program and the university itself made a strong initial impression on Jefferson.

“When I first got here and throughout the whole visit; the campus tour, seeing the strength and conditioning coach and things like that in my mind I was just like ‘I want to commit here’,” he said.

Jefferson will join what could be one of the more talented backcourts in the SEC next season and the Vols look particularly loaded on the wings with seniors Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi along with grad transfer Tyreke Key and rising sophomore Jahmai Mashack.

The Vols are getting a versatile performer who brings a solid skill set to build on on both ends of the floor.

“They like my athleticism for sure. They think I bring a lot to the table. They feel like I can get to any spot on the floor. I’m very versatile and I feel like I have great defensive skills,” Jefferson said.