Tennessee transfer commits to SMU

Tennessee transfer BJ Edwards committed to SMU on Friday, according to an article from 247Sports.

"I chose SMU because Coach (Rob) Lanier's son used to play for my AAU team so he's been in the gym with me a couple times while he was here in Knoxville," he said, via 247Sports. "He's familiar with my game and I really trust him. 

"Through the process he said he needed a point guard and I feel like I can play that role. He's also close with coach Barnes. I'm coming off of a whole year with coach Barnes so he knows what I've been through this year. He knows I can be ready and play big minutes for SMU next year."

A former four-star prospect out of Knoxville, Tenn., Edwards initially committed to Tennessee over Auburn, Florida, Georgetown, Georgia, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, according to 247Sports. He joined a 2022 recruiting class that placed No. 11 nationwide and featured a five-star enrollee in forward Julian Phillips.

Edwards played in 14 games for the Volunteers during the 2022-23 season, averaging 1.2 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 4.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-3-inch guard scored five points during a game against Tennessee Tech in November, making both of his shot attempts as Tennessee earned a 75-43 win over the Golden Eagles.

The highly-ranked guard will be a needed addition to an SMU men's basketball program that went 10-22 in its first season under Lanier. 

"There's going to be a lot of excitement at SMU next year," Edwards said. "They only won 10 games last year so I definitely feel with all the transfers coming in and the confidence coach has given all the guys we can have a really good season and turn things around."