Four players Tennessee basketball could target next in transfer portal

Tennessee basketball got started in the transfer portal by adding former Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade.

The Vols (25-12) did well landing the elite shooter and scorer, who announced his move April 1, but they still have more work to do to assemble a national title contender.

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Tennessee has three incoming freshmen in the 2027 class. None have the profile that five-star recruit Nate Ament had last season that would make them a day one starter.

Here’s what else Tennessee could be looking for in the transfer portal after adding Lundblade, and four players who could fit those needs.

What does Tennessee basketball need in the transfer portal?

Tennessee are losing starting seniors Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Felix Okpara, and Ament, a freshman, could enter the 2026 NBA Draft.

The No. 6 seed Vols had a surprising run to the Elite Eight, given that they entered the Men’s NCAA Tournament 2-4 in their last six games and had their lowest seed in coach Rick Barnes’ tenure.

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But once it faced a national championship contender, Tennessee’s postseason crashed. Michigan’s offense cruised to 95 points — a season-worst for the Vols’ defense — while Tennessee’s offense mustered 62 points on 32% shooting.

Barnes put it plainly after the loss.

“Offensively, we needed to make some shots,” he said. “We’ve got to score. At some point in time you’ve got to score the ball, too.”

Along with the volume scoring, Tennessee will need to fill the defensive void left by Okpara. The 6-foot-11 senior was the team’s leading shot blocker and was elite at guarding on the perimeter as a center. He was also a premier lob threat with a wingspan that could catch nearly everything thrown toward the rim.

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But the Vols also need to be careful in who they bring in. They got great contributions from their younger players, including sophomore Bishop Boswell and freshmen Amari Evans and DeWayne Brown II. Adding too many transfers in those roles could stunt their development because of diminished…

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Publish date : 2026-04-02 09:09:00

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