Burns says he will play for the Vols this season

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee received a public commitment Friday from a four-star basketball player who recently reclassified to be eligible for the upcoming college season.

D.J. Burns, a 6-foot-9 center from Rock Hill, South Carolina, unzipped a jacket to reveal a Tennessee shirt as he announced his commitment during a ceremony shown live by Rivals.com.

Burns chose the Volunteers over South Carolina.

Verbal commitments are not binding, and Burns will have to sign a letter of intent before his addition to Tennessee’s 2018-19 roster is official. The Vols — who have been projected as high as No. 3 in some preseason polls — were in pursuit of Burns well before he reclassified from the class of 2019 last month.

The addition of the lefthander with a soft touch in the paint would fill one of two open scholarships created by the departures of James Daniel and Chris Darrington.

Burns faces stiff competition for immediate playing time in the frontcourt, but his addition is key for the future because he could end up as the only true freshman on the 2018-19 roster.

Grant Williams, the reigning Southeastern Conference player of the year, is returning as a junior power forward along with senior center Kyle Alexander. Reserve forwards John Fulkerson and Derrick Walker are also expected to return for their sophomore seasons, along with 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman Zach Kent.

The final open scholarship could still be taken by Richmond graduate transfer Khwan Fore, but he reportedly has reopened his recruitment.

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.