Photo via SMU Athletics
Former Tennessee basketball guard B.J. Edwards is re-entering the transfer portal after spending the last three seasons at SMU, 247sports’ Travis Branham first reported on Monday.
Edwards was originally out of eligibility this offseason after playing one season at Tennessee and three seasons a SMU. But after the NCAA passed a new rule giving student-athletes five years to play five seasons, there was a possibility for Edwards to return to college.
Originally, the NCAA’s new eligibility rules did not apply to athletes who exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year. But a number of successful lawsuits, including one last week in Tennessee, is forcing the NCAA to grant those athletes eligibility for next season.
That is how Edwards now likely has an extra-year of eligibility and why he now intends to enter the transfer portal and find a new home for next season. Edwards previously signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Sacramento Kings after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. Edwards played for the Kings in the NBA Summer League last month.
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Whoever lands Edwards is getting a good player. The Knoxville native averaged 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season as one of the best two-way guards in the country. Edwards’ late season injury coincided with the Mustangs’ struggles to end the year.
Edwards signed with Tennessee basketball in the 2022 recruiting cycle and spent just one year in the program, averaging 1.2 points in 4.3 minutes per game.
There’s no reason to expect a reunion between Tennessee and Edwards. The Vols have a deep backcourt entering next season including incoming transfers Terrence Hill Jr, Dai Dai Ames, Tyler Lundblade and Juke Harris.
Tennessee is in pursuit of Vanderbilt transfer center Jalen Washington. The successful lawsuits against the NCAA also granted Washington an additional year of eligibility. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season.
