Analyzing Jaylen Carey’s Fit With Mizzou Basketball

Missouri men’s basketball has landed the commitment of former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey, per Joe Tipton.

Carey is the first transfer portal addition of the Tigers’ 2026 offseason. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward brings three seasons of experience, the last two of which were split between Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC. He holds career averages of 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 assist while playing just 17.8 minutes per game – solid numbers despite limited action.

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Carey was ranked as the 35th best power forward and a three-star transfer in the 2026 transfer portal class, per 247Sports. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates reached out to Carey in last season’s portal cycle, and has now circled back around to get his guy, per PowerMizzou.

Here’s what his addition means for Missouri’s offseason and upcoming 2026-27 season.

Patches one weakness, amplifies another

Missouri averaged the fourth-least rebounds per game in the SEC last season, hauling in 35.3 boards per night. The Tigers joined South Carolina (32.6), Ole Miss (34.3), Vanderbilt (35.2) and Oklahoma (35.6) as the bottom-five rebounding teams in the conference. Only Vanderbilt won an NCAA Tournament game.

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The top five teams? Florida (45.1), Tennessee (42.5), Alabama (40.7), Mississippi State (38.2) and Georgia (38.1), three of which won an NCAA Tournament game. Texas, Kentucky and Texas A&M, who were the next three highest-rebounding teams, all won an NCAA Tournament game as well – there’s a clear correlation between postseason success and regular-season rebounding.

Feb 28, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Jaylen Carey (23) rebounds the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Carey can help elevate Missouri into the top half of rebounding teams in the SEC, given the rising senior has amassed over 400 rebounds in the last two seasons…

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Publish date : 2026-04-14 17:06:00

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