One of the SEC’s top freshman basketball players is on the move.

Tennessee’s Julian Phillips, a former five-star recruit in the 2022 class and an SEC All-Freshman honoree last season, plans to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Wednesday afternoon.

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Phillips averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the Vols last season while shooting 41.1 percent from the field during his first season of college ball. The 6-foot-8, 198-pound wing was one of the top recruits in the 2022 class and was rated as the No. 15 overall player in the country coming out of Missouri’s Link Academy, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

A native of Blythewood, S.C., Phillips originally signed with LSU but was released from his letter of intent after former LSU coach Will Wade was fired amid NCAA scandal. He was heavily pursued by Auburn last offseason and took an official visit to the Plains last April before ultimately signing with Rick Barnes’ program in Knoxville, Tenn.

Phillips’ decision to transfer from Tennessee after one season represents an intriguing development on the transfer market, particularly as it pertains to Auburn. Bruce Pearl’s team is still in search of a quality wing as the program undergoes an offseason roster restructuring, and considering the Tigers’ prior pursuit of Phillips a year ago, he could soon emerge as a transfer target for Pearl and his staff.

Auburn has already added three newcomers to the fold for the 2023-24 season, with five-star freshman guard Aden Holloway, FIU two-guard transfer Denver Jones and UAH forward Chaney Johnson joining the fray. The Tigers still need to address the wing position, however, as starter Allen Flanigan entered the transfer portal earlier this week after earning his undergraduate degree Saturday. Auburn has been in search of a transfer at the position, hosting former five-star and FSU leading scorer Matthew Cleveland before he opted for Miami recently, as well as Vanderbilt’s Tyrin Lawrence, who is testing the NBA Draft waters and will participate in the G League Elite camp this week.

Phillips presents Auburn with another potential target at that spot following a solid freshman season at Tennessee, where he averaged 24.1 minutes per game and made 25 starts across 32 appearances for the Vols. Though he struggled with the deep ball, shooting just 23.9 percent on 46 attempts from beyond the arc, Phillips was a proficient shooter in high school. According to The Athletic, citing Synergy stats, Phillips shot 40.6 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers at Link Academy as a senior. He scored in double figures 13 times — including a career-high 25 points against USC during nonconference action — and pulled down double-digit rebounds three times while leading Tennessee in rebounding on six occasions and averaging 1.8 offensive rebounds per game.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.