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Tennessee beats out UConn, Virginia Tech for key four-star recruit

NBPA Top 100 Camp

Kelly Kline (Under Armour)

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Tennessee landed a commitment from four-star wing Chris Clarke on Thursday afternoon.

Clarke, who stands 6-foot-6, is ranked as the No. 71 overall recruit in the Class of 2015 according to Scout.com, and while he’s not a program-changing talent, this is a key pickup for new Vols head coach Donnie Tyndall.

Since Tyndall took over for Cuonzo Martin, he’s done an excellent job and bringing players into the program in the form of transfers, JuCo kids and late commits. What he needs now is an infusion of talent capable of turning Tennessee into a top 25 team.

Clarke is that kind of a player. The teams that Tyndall beat out for this commitment? Reigning national champ UConn and Virginia Tech, which is an in-state school for Clarke and coached by Buzz Williams. Creighton was also in the mix as well.

Clarke is the prototype Donnie Tyndall recruit. You may not find a player in the country that plays harder or is more competitive than he is. Remember, when Tyndall was at Morehead State, he sent Kenneth Faried to the NBA. I’m not saying Clarke is going to be the next Faried -- he’s smaller and more of a wing than Faried was -- but he plays with than same motor, that same edge. As he adds a jump shot and becomes a better ball-handler, he’ll be a very good player for this system in the SEC.

Follow @robdauster