'I knew it was a great thing for me': DJ Jefferson looks forward after redshirt season with Vols

It wasn’t hard for DJ Jefferson to stay patient this season. He knew his time was coming. But that doesn’t mean it was any easier for Tennessee basketball’s freshman wing when he heard he would be sitting out as a redshirt. 

“When I first got here,” Jefferson told Volquest, “and I was told I was going to be a redshirt, of course I had some thoughts in my mind, like man I wish I could play. But I had to let it play its course. 

“I knew it was a great thing for me because I didn’t want to end up having a wasted year. When they did tell me I was going to redshirt, I just took that as another opportunity to get better as a player and as a person.”

Jefferson, the 6-foot-5, 207-pounder out of Richardson, Texas, was the odd man out on the wing for the Vols, stuck behind Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips on the wing.

So the redshirt was the answer after he was a late addition to Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class, committing to the Vols in late May and arriving in Knoxville to start summer conditioning in early June.

DJ Jefferson as a recruit: 4-star SF, No. 51 overall, No. 17 SF

He was a consensus four-star prospect, ranked No. 51 overall in the 2022 class according to the On3 rankings. He was the No. 17 small forward in the country and the No. 1 player in Minnesota, where he attended Minnesota Prep Academy.

An ankle injury for Jefferson in early October led to Rick Barnes announcing he would be the program’s next redshirt after the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech on November 7.

“When a freshman misses that early season practice,” Barnes said at the time, “and I think he was out for a couple weeks with an ankle, and it really set him back especially with the older group of guys.

“And you never redshirt a guy unless you know he’s going to be a factor in your program. There’s no doubt he has a chance to be a real factor.”

A factor is what Jefferson spent the entire season trying to become — running with the scout team in practice, working to take positive steps in a few different areas of his game.

“To be honest, I’ve made a huge jump from where I was to where I am now,” Jefferson said. “Just as far as working on my defense, learning how to play without the ball, reading defenses, things like that.

“Learning the game, the pros and cons of it, learning how to play hard when you’re tried. That’s one of the main things I had to really work on. I’m not going to say I wasn’t in shape, but I wasn’t in college shape. That was one thing I had to work on when I got here. And I just have been getting better ever since.”

DJ Jefferson: ‘I’m willing to do anything to help my team win’

Now the next step is doing whatever Barnes and the Tennessee coaching staff ask of him. 

Jefferson will be part of a new-look Tennessee roster for the 2023-24 season, with Freddie Dilione making his debut after sitting out since January, when he enrolled early and joined the Vols. Freshman BJ Edwards was averaged just 4.3 minutes per game in 14 appearances, on the outside looking in at the rotation this season. 

Tennessee had five seniors on roster, with James alongside Santiago Vescovi, Olivier Nkamhoua, Uros Plavsic and Tyreke Key. Three new freshmen will arrive this summer: Four-star forward JP Estrella, four-star wing Cameron Carr and three-star forward Cade Phillips.

“Anything the coach wants me to bring,” Jefferson said of the role he envisions for himself. “Whether it’s defense, rebounding, driving the ball, whatever the coach wants me to bring. I’m willing to do anything to help my team win.”

Over the course of his sidelined freshman season, Jefferson said he became better at moving without the ball. He became a better cutter on the floor. And he dedicated time to working on his jump shot and 3-point shot.

But in the end, he circled back to effort. 

“Really my main focus has just been playing hard for Coach Barnes,” Jefferson said, “and playing great defense. Playing the right line, jumping the passing lanes, little things like that that coach wants me to do.”

And he got a firsthand look at what is required in March, following along with his teammates during their run to the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden, before ultimately losing 62-55 to Florida Atlantic.

What did he learn from the up close look at it all?

“Every play counts,” he said. “You can’t really have any mishaps when you’re on the floor. You can’t miss a rebound or miss a defensive assignment. You can’t turn the ball over. 

“It’s just the little things that really matter, because at this point in time (in March), it’s about winning a national championship. So every play matters. 

“You have to always come on the court and be ready to make the right play,” Jefferson added, “and not second guess yourself.”

Looking back, he’s not second guessing the decision to redshirt.

“I can say that since I’m at this point now,” Jefferson said, “I’ve gotten way better as a person and a player.”