2025 Transfer Portal

[spojo13]

I agree to some extent. I think it's unrealistic to expect a large freshman class like ours will end up staying put and together for their entire 4 years these days. At the same time, a lot of these freshmen transferring seem to be searching for playing time (e.g., the entire UCLA class). So sure, if you recruit over them and don't allow them time on court to develop, then yeah, you're going to lose some/a lot.

I wonder if any of the UCLA players or Heckel from USC are on our radar. Of course, you have to worry about bringing any of them in affecting the 2026 class. I tend to believe that iron sharpens iron but maybe that’s not how today’s athletes think

 

[DarkPhoenix]

It’s kinda wild that we’re hearing all this portal info and movement on other programs and not much about ours. It’s strange how quiet it has been for us. You’d think something somewhere would leak about who we were targeting. We had plenty of news last year about visits and players interested even if they didn’t sign till later. So far, I think we have heard of one confirmed visit. Even in the men’s basketball forum, you’re hearing about players interested in UT, who they are focusing on, who is coming in for visits. I know they needed to be a lot more aggressive in the portal than the women did though.

Once the top teams are loaded, we’ll get what’s left over after that.

 

[th2421]

No longer the way. The new way is load up regardless of whether you have playing time or not. You keep who you can the next season and try to load up again.

Maybe, I think the jury is still out on that for long-term success. Brenda has been doing this for probably the longest of anyone and has mostly maintained her success getting to at least Sweet 16s but hasn't been to a final four since 2015. The programs who have consistently been at the very top (UConn, South Carolina) still recruit very, very well from high school, tend to only lose 1-2 players a year in the portal, and then supplement with a few pieces here and there from the portal to fill gaps. For other teams building heavily from the portal (UCLA, TCU, Ole Miss, probably a lot more), we'll see if they can sustain this strategy long-term.

Teams like Duke, USC, and even LSU to some extent (and I think this is what Kim is doing) leaned heavily on the portal early on to get some success but then turned more toward high school recruiting to build their programs for the long-term.

 

[Volfan2012]

I agree to some extent. I think it's unrealistic to expect a large freshman class like ours will end up staying put and together for their entire 4 years these days. At the same time, a lot of these freshmen transferring seem to be searching for playing time (e.g., the entire UCLA class). So sure, if you recruit over them and don't allow them time on court to develop, then yeah, you're going to lose some/a lot.

That is the reason I have been for filling the spots that need filling post 4 and 5 and maybe shooters. Cause Hurst is a shooter if she isn't playing volleyball which starts before basketball. The twins are three capable as is Prawl. If you have to play Okot, Edward, etc inside with just Spearman and Latham looks like your in trouble. If you could've added a Williams or Okot yourself then you look to be a match for that.
The questions with our roster are inside help and do we have enough three point shooters to make her system work. That is the only question I have. Last season we didn't have enough inside help and we didn't have enough three point shooting. Do the freshmen provide that? No on the post help and maybe on the three point shooting.

You should be looking for couple shooters as insurance and certainly two post players to try to overcome an obvious weakness from last season.

 

[glv98]

I wonder if any of the UCLA players or Heckel from USC are on our radar. Of course, you have to worry about bringing any of them in affecting the 2026 class. I tend to believe that iron sharpens iron but maybe that’s not how today’s athletes think

I may be misremembering but I believe previous staff went hard after Heckle

 

[Volfan2012]

Maybe, I think the jury is still out on that for long-term success. Brenda has been doing this for probably the longest of anyone and has mostly maintained her success getting to at least Sweet 16s but hasn't been to a final four since 2015. The programs who have consistently been at the very top (UConn, South Carolina) still recruit very, very well from high school, tend to only lose 1-2 players a year in the portal, and then supplement with a few pieces here and there from the portal to fill gaps. For other teams building heavily from the portal (UCLA, TCU, Ole Miss, probably a lot more), we'll see if they can sustain this strategy long-term.

Teams like Duke, USC, and even LSU to some extent (and I think this is what Kim is doing) leaned heavily on the portal early on to get some success but then turned more toward high school recruiting to build their programs for the long-term.

I used to like the freshman way. Now with every player being a free agent strategies have changed. I think it is still a 50-50 strategy get three or four freshmen and the best four out of the portal. Maybe you keep half every year which keeps you a successful team year after year.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

That is the reason I have been for filling the spots that need filling post 4 and 5 and maybe shooters. Cause Hurst is a shooter if she isn't playing volleyball which starts before basketball. The twins are three capable as is Prawl. If you have to play Okot, Edward, etc inside with just Spearman and Latham looks like your in trouble. If you could've added a Williams or Okot yourself then you look to be a match for that.
The questions with our roster are inside help and do we have enough three point shooters to make her system work. That is the only question I have. Last season we didn't have enough inside help and we didn't have enough three point shooting. Do the freshmen provide that? No on the post help and maybe on the three point shooting.

You should be looking for couple shooters as insurance and certainly two post players to try to overcome an obvious weakness from last season.

Hurst said she’s playing volleyball, she said the coaches are going to work out her schedule.

 

[glv98]

That is the reason I have been for filling the spots that need filling post 4 and 5 and maybe shooters. Cause Hurst is a shooter if she isn't playing volleyball which starts before basketball. The twins are three capable as is Prawl. If you have to play Okot, Edward, etc inside with just Spearman and Latham looks like your in trouble. If you could've added a Williams or Okot yourself then you look to be a match for that.
The questions with our roster are inside help and do we have enough three point shooters to make her system work. That is the only question I have. Last season we didn't have enough inside help and we didn't have enough three point shooting. Do the freshmen provide that? No on the post help and maybe on the three point shooting.

You should be looking for couple shooters as insurance and certainly two post players to try to overcome an obvious weakness from last season.

I hear you brother. Reminds me of how I feel about the system. However, the system is staying and when DP says the recruiting philosophy is high school first, we can believe him. Explains what we’re seeing, or not seeing now. LOL maybe both of us need a new team.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

I’m willing to bet that if any of these freshmen coming to Tennessee had gone elsewhere and scored 8 points, got 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds just throwing out figures in their first game this upcoming season then the same posters now talking about it’s not wise to rely on freshmen and claiming I’m missing the point about the portal when they haven’t made a point would without a doubt say we missed out. For instance, last I checked we return 5 players all who contributed w/ three averaging double figures and a redshirt graduate student that are part of the core of the team to help the freshmen manage the transition to college. We will add transfers via the portal.
Earning playing time is the same for all players freshman or not.
This is the same thing that’s happens every single year during the offseason with pessimistic minded posters that try to project the idea of the worse is to about to come on others.
At first it was when Rickea Jackson leaves we won’t make the tourney.
Then it was we didn’t hire a proven Power-4 coach we will miss the tourney.
Next it was Talaysia Cooper won’t be ready, she hasn’t played yet.
How did all of that turn out by the way?
Now it’s fans aren’t being fair or putting unrealistic expectations on our freshmen to walk and chew gum at the same time come basketball season. Nobody is saying they will need to carry a team, I just refuse to put a cap on them because they aren’t doing it to themselves.
It’s ironic how in recent years nearly all teams in WBB can have multiple impact freshmen many of which our incoming class has competed with that coaches, players, and fanbases welcome with open arms to come in and play right away but on here certain people want to push the narrative to not have any expectations for them at all.
That speaks volume.
No way to spin it either, but watch it unfold.

 

[Volfan2012]

Hurst said she’s playing volleyball, she said the coaches are going to work out her schedule.

Exactly and that is a problem as far as I am concerned. The system is hard enough to learn without coming in late and being a freshman. I have no problem with her playing either sport, but wish she had chosen just one or the other hard to play both when we have a basketball system with a somewhat larger learning curve than most systems.

 

[glv98]

I’m willing to bet that if any of these freshmen coming to Tennessee had gone elsewhere and scored 8 points, got 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds just throwing out figures in their first game this upcoming season then the same posters now talking about it’s not wise to rely on freshmen and claiming I’m missing the point about the portal when they haven’t made a point would without a doubt say we missed out. For instance, last I checked we return 5 players all who contributed w/ three averaging double figures and a redshirt graduate student that are part of the core of the team to help the freshmen manage the transition to college. We will add transfers via the portal.
Earning playing time is the same for all players freshman or not.
This is the same thing that’s happens every single year during the offseason with pessimistic minded posters that try to project the idea of the worse is to about to come on others.
At first it was when Rickea Jackson leaves we won’t make the tourney.
Then it was we didn’t hire a proven Power-4 coach we will miss the tourney.
Next it was Talaysia Cooper won’t be ready, she hasn’t played yet.
How did all of that turn out by the way?
Now it’s fans aren’t being fair or putting unrealistic expectations on our freshmen to walk and chew gum at the same time come basketball season. Nobody is saying they will need to carry a team, I just refuse to put a cap on them because they aren’t doing it to themselves.
It’s ironic how in recent years nearly all teams in WBB can have multiple impact freshmen many of which our incoming class has competed with that coaches, players, and fanbases welcome with open arms to come in and play right away but on here certain people want to push the narrative to not have any expectations for them at all.
That speaks volume.
No way to spin it either, but watch it unfold.

Told ya!!

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Exactly and that is a problem as far as I am concerned. The system is hard enough to learn without coming in late and being a freshman. I have no problem with her playing either sport, but wish she had chosen just one or the other hard to play both when we have a basketball system with a somewhat larger learning curve than most systems.

Who gave her the scholarship?

 

[glv98]

Exactly and that is a problem as far as I am concerned. The system is hard enough to learn without coming in late and being a freshman. I have no problem with her playing either sport, but wish she had chosen just one or the other hard to play both when we have a basketball system with a somewhat larger learning curve than most systems.

That whole deal always seemed odd to me. The dang seasons overlap.

I wonder how much volleyball conditioning prepares her for the extreme rigors of Kim’s system. Would she need additional time to ramp up?

 

[volsagain]

Hurst said she’s playing volleyball, she said the coaches are going to work out her schedule.

Sounds more like a spare tire you may use it if you need it . I'm wandering if we spent most of our money on retention and freshman class ? We really need to do something to get better on the post to stay with the rest of the conference.

 

[Volfan2012]

I hear you brother. Reminds me of how I feel about the system. However, the system is staying and when DP says the recruiting philosophy is high school first, we can believe him. Explains what we’re seeing, or not seeing now. LOL maybe both of us need a new team.

Then there must be patience which most Tennessee fans have none. I can see us having sweet sixteen seasons the next two seasons and see attitudes changing. Kellie was winning twenty games making NCAA tourneys. I fear most are expecting to suddenly leap back to top. Even with the roster returnees and the freshmen we don't have the team that can do that. It needed some tweaking and maybe it will still happen.

 

[VolBall09]

Janiah Barker in the portal. Could be a good fit for us. She’d have more of a role here than she did at ucla. Really took a backseat there. Seems to have her head screwed on better than she did it A&M

 

[Volfan2012]

Who gave her the scholarship?

She committed to basketball but Coach say she can play volleyball. I guess if she had said no then she might have decided on Clemson. For me it was one or the other not both even if Clemson was offering her both. I don't see it working for her or the teams.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Looks like they got someone else.

 

[Volfan2012]

Janiah Barker in the portal. Could be a good fit for us. She’d have more of a role here than she did at ucla. Really took a backseat there. Seems to have her head screwed on better than she did it A&M

She has been far below the superstar she was expected to be. I guess with the right coach she could get there wonder where she wants to go this time.

 

[VolBall09]

I haven't seen anything about Tennessee not one anything.

Nobody has staff, playing it crazy close to the vest. People who usually have sources are saying they’re getting radio silence from Knoxville.

Not a bad thing. We get negatively recruited against more than any school. Which is kinda funny given we haven’t been nationally relevant in 15 years. They’re terrified of waking the sleeping giant.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

She committed to basketball but Coach say she can play volleyball. I guess if she had said no then she might have decided on Clemson. For me it was one or the other not both even if Clemson was offering her both. I don't see it working for her or the teams.

Ok thanks

 

[Volfan2012]

Looks like they got someone else.

They were going for those Ga Tech players so maybe them.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Snobbish for no apparent reason. I’m trying to see your point.
You think a coach only watches teams based on what level of basketball they are coaching at time, and you type that on your keyboard. Wow.
I recall how so many said it would take Coach Caldwell two or three years to have a highly ranked HS recruiting class. She did that in 7 months. Following a very strong portal class in 1 month.
But you convinced yourself speaking about the former staff and the current staff in terms of recruiting is comparable.
Enjoy your day.

So CKC has seen the majority of these players in person? I understand your use of hyperbole but please. Glenville was not fishing in the same ponds.
I agree that it is not an unmitigated disaster if we don’t pick up a top five/ten transfer and I know the coaching staff has specific things they are looking for. But anyone on here who thinks we wouldn’t take one of those top, top transfers (unless they are a culture killer) and figure it out later, is kidding
themselves.
Finally, I am hearing folks who absolutely destroyed Kellie about recruits start using the same but, but, but language that three years ago Kelli’s supporters were using regarding her recruiting. Very interesting.

 

[VolBall09]

She has been far below the superstar she was expected to be. I guess with the right coach she could get there wonder where she wants to go this time.

Yeah she has a crazy natural ability but just hasn’t found her groove. I’d be cautious but man she’s athletic. Would be a great 3 for us and can stretch the floor and rebound better than Puckett or Darby.

 

[Volfan2012]

Yeah she has a crazy natural ability but just hasn’t found her groove. I’d be cautious but man she’s athletic. Would be a great 3 for us and can stretch the floor and rebound better than Puckett or Darby.

If I knew anyone we were going for would be interesting to discuss. Right now most of the discussion is other teams.