標籤: Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the most active programs in the men’s college basketball transfer portal this offseason, going all out on Rick Barnes after three consecutive Elite Eight trips. This effort may soon be rewarded with another massive hike.

Pete Nakos of On3.com reported that there is “growing confidence” in Knoxville that Tennessee will be able to close things out with star guard Juke Harris and pry him away from the Michigan Wolverines and North Carolina Tar Heels.

RELATED: Leading to top G in Tennessee transfer portal

In the first recruiting cycle, Harris seemed certain to attend Michigan. He reportedly visited Ann Arbor because the event celebrated the men’s basketball national championship, and a commitment seemed inevitable. Since then, things have changed a lot.

Tennessee and North Carolina held home-and-home visits with Harris suddenly making it a three-program battle for one of the top players in the college basketball transfer portal. While the opportunity to play close to home may prove attractive, it is also reported that Tennessee was originally a finalist for him after coming out of high school. Further strengthening the Volunteers’ chances, as Nacos noted, head coach Rick Barnes has a good relationship with Harris’ former coach at Wake Forest, Steve Forbes.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers to spend big bucks on basketball

Of course, landing one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal comes at a price. Nakos reports that Harris is expected to earn a deal “north of $3 million” for the 2026-27 season. This is a price that volunteers are “willing to pay” even with additional payments already made.

If he does commit, with the decision potentially taking more than a week, Harris will be the starting shooting guard for Tennessee next season, with fellow transfer Tyler Lundblad coming off the bench behind him. The Volunteers have also added guard Dai Dai Ames to the transfer portal and remain in the active search for a point guard to replace Ja’Coby Gillespie.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Coming off of their third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight, Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers have hit the college basketball transfer portal hard this summer and another significant change could be coming.

On3.com’s Joe Tipton wrote Friday that he would give the Volunteers “the edge” in the fight to remove VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. from the portal.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers in top 3 for star portal player

The 6-foot-3 Hill arrived in Knoxville earlier this week and is staying for a long time. That’s what happened to Tennessee’s four current commits — Miles Rubin, Dai Dai Ames, Jalen Harrelson and Tyler Lundblad, who all attended the program at the end of their official visits.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma Sooners have also been linked to the VCU transfer. However, Tipton says it “does not seem likely” Hill will travel to Norman.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers to spend big bucks on basketball

On3 and Rivals.com ranked Hill as the 24th-best player and eighth-best guard in the college basketball transfer portal this offseason. Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranked him the 21st best player available.

“Hill undoubtedly boosted his stock with his performance against North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He led VCU to a 19-point comeback and upset victory with 34 points, five rebounds and five assists. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season after averaging 15.0 points while shooting 37% from 3.”

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello defends Terrence Hill Jr.

In his final season with VCU, the 20-year-old emerged as one of the biggest breakout stars outside of the Power 4 conferences. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP, Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year and the conference’s Most Improved Player.

In his final 15 games with the program, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 assists and 3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. Hill also played a key role in VCU’s conference title, averaging 17.3 ppg, and in the first round win over the North Carolina Tar Heels where he scored 34 points on 23 shots in an 82–78 overtime win.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

With Barnes looking to add more scoring ahead of next season, Hill will certainly help in that regard. He also provides perimeter shooting – 2.3 three-pointers per game at 37 percent – ​​for a team that ranks 296th nationally in three-pointers made per game (6.6) and 208th in three-point percentage (33.4 percent).

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers have been cleaning up the transfer portal this month, securing three commitments to bolster their depth next season. While the focus has primarily been on players from smaller schools, it appears the Volunteers are an emerging threat to field one of the best players available across the country.

On3.com’s Pete Nacos reports that Tennessee has emerged as one of the “top three schools to look at” for guard Jukes Harris in the transfer portal. However, it’s worth noting that a decision isn’t expected any time soon as the young guard is also evaluating his options to turn professional depending on where he’s projected to land in the 2026 NBA Draft.

RELATED: Tennessee volunteers gaining momentum toward bigger commitment

A week earlier, most reporting suggested that the Michigan Wolverines were in a very strong position to land Harris’ commitment. Since then, the offensive efforts of both the Volunteers and the North Carolina Tar Heels have made it a three-team battle.

Nakos elaborated that Harris visited Michigan during the championship program and that he walked away from the program with “confidence” it gave him a good chance to earn his commitment. However, after that, home visits to Tennessee and North Carolina have them set up for a tough battle with Michigan to land a star guard.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers to spend big bucks on basketball

The 6-foot-7 Harris is rated as the fourth-best player in the 2026 college basketball transfer portal by On3.com and Rivals. Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranked him the sixth-best player on the market and the second-best shooting guard.

In his final season at Wake Forest, the second-year guard averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He shot 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game, while getting to the free-throw line frequently (7.1 attempts per game) and shot 78.3 percent from the charity stripe.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

A report for Barnes and the Volunteers’ coaching staff this season emphasizes adding more capable scorers to the roster. Harris, the reigning ACC Most Improved Player, scored more than 30 points three times this season and reached more than 27 points in eight contests. He also finished nine games with double-digit free-throw attempts.

Given how aggressive Tennessee has been in recruiting Harris under Barnes, it’s very possible that the program is able to lure him away from Michigan and North Carolina. If that happens, the zero commitment would certainly mean that next season’s roster is the most expensive in program history.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes has been hard at work in the college basketball transfer portal this month, securing three commitments just days after leading the program to the Elite Eight. Now it appears volunteers are on the verge of a fourth large influx this month.

On3.com’s Joe Tipton reported ahead of wing Jalen Harrelson’s visit to Knoxville on Tuesday that Tennessee is “accelerating this recruiting” and momentum is building toward a potential commitment.

RELATED: Tennessee volunteers gaining momentum for SG in portal

Haralson, a 6-foot-6 forward, is rated as a four-star player this cycle by the college basketball transfer portal Rivals and On3.com. He is viewed as the second-best small forward on the market and the 39th-best player available this offseason.

Before this season, Rivals ranked him the 31st-best high school player in the 2025 recruiting class. It was the same class as five-star recruit Nate Ament, a late commit to Tennessee last year who is now expected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

RELATED: Tennessee in mix for top player in CBB transfer portal

As a freshman, he started 23 of 27 games for the Fighting Irish. Harrelson averaged 16.2 points, 4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He doesn’t offer much in the way of a perimeter scoring threat, making just 5 of 25 from beyond the arc in his freshman season, but he got to the free-throw line 181 times (6.7 per game) and shot 67.4 percent of his free-throw attempts.

As he gained more experience as a freshman, Haralson’s play continued to improve. While Notre Dame went 6–13 to end his season, Haralson averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during that span, posted a 52.7 effective field goal percentage, and he averaged 7.4 free-throw attempts per contest.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

For Tennessee, he could potentially fill the void left by Ament’s expected departure. His commitment will be the fourth commitment for volunteers this month, coming on the heels of or during the trips to Knoxville.

Entering Wednesday, Tennessee’s transfer portal commitment class included Belmont shooting guard Tyler Lundblad, California guard Dai Dai Ames and Loyola big man Miles Rubin. The Volunteers are still actively searching for several guards, including a point guard to replace Ja’Coby Gillespie.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers to spend big bucks on basketball

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the most active programs so far in the college basketball transfer portal, signing three key players. With Rick Barnes and the coaching staff getting the nod of an even bigger NIL wallet this offseason, another change could be on the horizon.

On3.com’s Joe Tipton reports that former VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. is set to visit Knoxville on Wednesday. Both the Volunteers and Kansas Jayhawks are reportedly “building positive momentum” with the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers spring game insiders name 2 standouts

Hill is rated as a four-star transfer recruit this cycle by On3.com and Rivals. He is ranked sixth among shooting guards and 25th nationally among current players in the college basketball transfer portal.

Last season, the 20-year-old guard earned numerous honors in the Atlantic 10 Conference as a breakout player. He made the first-team All-Atlantic 10, was named the conference’s Most Improved Player and earned Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year.

RELATED: Tennessee in mix for top player in CBB transfer portal

In three games in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, he averaged 17.3 points and 3 assists per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Although he was not an effective perimeter shooter at 28.6 percent, he averaged 1.3 three-pointers per game during the tournament.

They then had an outstanding performance in VCU’s first-round upset of the North Carolina Tar Heels. In the 82–78 overtime win, Hill scored 34 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 7 of 10 from beyond the arc with a 71.7 percent effective field goal percentage.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

As Tipton said, this is important any time a player visits campus. This is one reason why Tennessee is viewed as an emerging threat to get a commitment from Hill by the end of the weekend.

If Hill commits, he will join an incoming class that includes four-star big man Miles Rubin (Loyola), four-star point guard Dai Dai Ames (California) and four-star shooting guard Tyler Lundblad (Belmont). Hill will likely push Lundblad into a role off the bench.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers to spend big bucks on basketball

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The biggest story surrounding the Tennessee Volunteers football team this spring has centered on the quarterback battle to determine who will be the starter in Week 1. Although it has taken months to make a decision, others have recently emerged.

In his annual article highlighting notable performances from the Spring Games, Pete Nakos of On3.com, left tackle Javin Gordon and cornerback Kyon Lee both made the list.

RELATED: ESPN analyst offers insight on Volunteers QB battle

The 5-foot-10 Gordon spent his freshman season with the Tulane Green Wave and finished 2025 with 516 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on 128 carries. He then entered the college football transfer portal this offseason, and committed to Tennessee to serve as a complementary member behind DeSean Bishop next season.

With the departures of star Thomas and Peyton Lewis, Josh Heupel and the Volunteers coaching staff are looking for who can fill secondary roles in the backfield behind Bishop. For Gordon and Deuce Morris, this could be a meaningful role as Thomas finished with 100 carries last year and Lewis had 74 touches.

RELATED: Volunteers trending for flip top recruit from SEC rival

Lee was another addition to the college football transfer portal for Tennessee. He is quickly emerging as a standout player on the perimeter, who can excel in coverage and is willing to drop his shoulder and deliver big hits.

Lee’s emergence is especially important to Volunteers defensive coordinator William Inge, who needs a quality No. 2 option at cornerback opposite second-year freshman Ty Redmond.

RELATED: Tennessee Volunteers confident they can flip 5-star recruit

For now, it has yet to be determined who will be the Volunteers’ starting quarterback this season, and no decision will be made any time after the spring game. What matters for Tennessee right now is that they have two very good cornerbacks and much-needed depth for the 2026 season.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson