Tennessee basketball has almost completely thrown itself into the deep end of the transfer portal.
Last season, the Vols brought in four transfers to supplement a young roster headlined by a strong returning frontcourt and one of the crown jewels of the 2026 recruiting class, five-star freshman Nate Ament.
When the portal opened on April 7, seven Vols submitted their names. Four seniors ran out of eligibility. NBA front offices are on high alert for Ament’s decision regarding the 2026 draft.
Freshman forward DeWayne Brown II and freshman guard Troy Henderson are the only players from the Vols’ third consecutive Elite Eight team to confirm their return. Henderson entered the portal, but came back to Tennessee on April 8.
Sophomore guard Ethan Burg is still on the roster but has not made any announcement of his intentions.
Tennessee has three incoming freshmen, but the majority of its roster will come from the portal. It began the reconstruction April 2 with Belmont graduate transfer Tyler Lundblade.
A group of new faces are headed to Knoxville to replace members of the familiar “Let’s Go Get Em” squad. Here’s why Tennessee shouldn’t worry.
Tennessee already has been successful in the portal
Tennessee might have a lot of work to do in finding stars and restocking depth, but it did it last season, and well. Ja’Kobi Gillespie was an All-SEC guard the Vols plucked from Maryland. Forward Jaylen Carey, who played all 37 games last season, came from Vanderbilt.
The Vols have made shrewd portal additions in previous seasons, including Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier and Felix Okpara, all of whom turned into All-SEC players.
Rick Barnes has a blank canvas
Lundblade was Tennessee’s first signing out of the portal. The 6-foot-5 guard shot better than 40% from 3-point range on more than 6.5 attempts per game in the past two seasons. The Vols’ only consistent 3-point threat last season was Gillespie.
Lundblade’s signing was more than just Tennessee adding a top player. It’s a signal that coach Rick Barnes is searching for variety. The Vols had a successful, but narrow, path to victory this past season by taking more shots than the opposing teams and mashing them on the glass. The strategy worked well in the Men’s NCAA Tournament until they ran into Michigan, who negated their rebounding and size advantage.
With so many roster spots to fill, Barnes has the ability to form the team however he desires. Specifically, he pointed to offense as a deficiency that kept Tennessee from its first Final Four appearance.
Incoming freshmen can fill the gaps
Tennessee has three high school players signed to its 2027 recruiting class. Four-star and 6-8 forward Ralph Scott leads the list, followed by four-star guard Manny Green (6-6) and three-star guard Marquis Clark (6-1).
The Vols will have an older group out of the transfer portal, but there will be space for the freshmen to make an impact. Evans and Brown didn’t have the prospect rating of Ament when they came in, yet both freshmen were consistent rotational players throughout the season. Brown held a starting role to begin SEC play, and Evans was the first choice at the end of the regular season when Ament sat with an ankle injury.
Tennessee is still a test case
Although Tennessee previously has done well in the portal, the lack of returning players could be an issue. The Final Four teams from this season all had multiple returners from the previous season. National champion Michigan and Arizona each had six players come back; Illinois and UConn each had five.
All four teams also had two returning players with starting experience. Michigan’s Roddy Gayle Jr. and Arizona’s Anthony Dell’Orso came off the bench after starting in the 2024-25 season. Pending Ament’s draft decision, Tennessee won’t have a single returning player from its most frequent starting lineup.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: [email protected]
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