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Tennessee Volunteers

Rick Barnes updates status of D.J. Jefferson after Tennessee guard was held out of practice

Sydney Hunte

By Sydney Hunte

Published:

Rick Barnes on Thursday addressed the status of D.J. Jefferson, a former 4-star recruit headed into his 2nd season with Tennessee.

Jefferson had been held out of practice by Barnes, with the Volunteers head coach not giving the exact reason behind the decision when it was initially discussed on Oct. 3. However, he revealed on Thursday that the redshirt freshman guard has returned to practice.

“He did the things we asked him to do and he came back. He’s missed it about a week there. He’s worked his way back and we expect him to do the right thing and continue to grow and build on where he is right now,” Barnes said on Thursday, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Mike Wilson.

Jefferson didn’t see the floor in 2022-23, his first season with the program since being recruited out of Minnesota Preparatory Academy. Originally from Texas, he was considered a top 100 recruit nationally when he signed with the Vols.

Tennessee’s season opener is set for Nov. 6 at home vs. Tennessee Tech.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.

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