Bearden High School basketball player Drew Pember announced his commitment to Tennessee on Twitter Friday afternoon.
"I originally wanted to let me recruitment paly out until July," said Pember. "But now that I've said I've committed to Tennessee, I'm just so relieved now."
The Class of 2019 forward has helped the Bulldogs reach the state tournament each of the last two seasons. Pember is rated a three-star and the no. 6 player in the state of Tennessee by 247Sports.
He joins three-star small forward Davonte Gaines as the second commit in Rick Barnes' recruiting class of 2019.
Pember recently attended a Tennessee practice and was sold on the team.
"I sat with Coach Barnes and Coach Lanier and I watched the guys practice and I was like, this is somewhere where I need to be. They've got everything going for them. They're going to be top-5 in the country for the next four years so I mean why not, why would I not go there."
The Vols are ranked in the top five in most early top 25 projections for the 2018-19 season after winning a share of the 2018 SEC regular season championship and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pember is excited about the direction the program is headed but he's most impressed with Barnes' ability to develop talent.
"He's taken Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield who are 3-star guys, they're not top-5 in the country or anything like that and they've turned them into good players, said Pember. "The player development they have over there is just ridiculous."
Pember would join the Vols for the 2019-20 campaign, he still has one high school season left.