2026 Vols Transfer Portal Thread

[oldaaucoach]

His shot wasn’t the problem. He had a green light to shoot whenever he was playing. He just didn’t play much because of lack of defense/effort combined with some questionable extracurriculars

That is my point. The fact that he didn't shoot a lot of 3s (for whatever reason) doesn't mean he was incapable of shooting 3s.

 

[orangejuice]

The problem, to me, is not the NCAA Tourney. It's everything that comes before it. Just like this past season, can we avoid a high number of losses that locks us out of the top seedings? Maybe so, it we bring in enough experience AND talent, but that would be my biggest concern: we have to gel as a team, which won't come overnight.

Honestly, it would be nice to finally close the deal on a 1 seed. We always seem to stumble just enough to drop back to a 2 seed when we are on the cusp, and then we somehow will get matched with the team that is that seasons juggernaught and if we were in another bracket, we probably make a FF.

 

[kong]

Barnes has dominated the portal every year. I hate seeing our guys leave but excited to see what the deacon has up his sleeve with $10mil+ in “cap space”

 

[Ryanvols24]

I would suggest taking a step back and calming down a bit

It does seem in all sports tennesseenis willing too pay too be really good and h hopefully some things go our way.... but not all out championship level money.. maybe im wrong It just seems that way

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Is Massamba official or still just assumed he will go?

Being reported same as the rest, and none are official until the portal opens tomorrow.

 

[cncchris33]

Is Massamba official or still just assumed he will go?

No one is official, yet. Portal opens tomorrow. Massamba, Phillips, Estrella, and Boswell have simply announced intentions to enter the portal. So all of them are currently unofficial intentions.

 

[Vol49er]

Would like somebody to be hired in Gainey’s spot if we’re gonna be recruiting a whole new team. Need all the hands we can get

 

[wtmvol]

Boswell, Estrella, and Phillips did some good things, but I'm not exactly going to lose sleep over those guys leaving unless we seriously can't find guys in the portal just as good, or, more likely, better/healthier than them.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

Boswell, Estrella, and Phillips did some good things, but I'm not exactly going to lose sleep over those guys leaving unless we seriously can't find guys in the portal just as good, or, more likely, better/healthier than them.

We had a roster full of "complementary" players and two guys capable of being the best player on the floor any given night. We need at least 5 guys that are legit capable of being all conference. This is the era of the super team (Michigan). Every team wants a roster like that. It's how you break through the ceiling we are stuck under.

 

[Dooby15]

I disagree about Estrella. He’s very skilled offensively and hasn’t logged many minutes in 3 years. I hate losing him.

Agree to disagree. Very skilled offensively might be a stretch. He missed a lot of bunny layups this year and he can only really score within 8-10 feet of the basket.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

If Tennessee isn't willing to pay market value to retain its core, then I am mildly skeptical they will get into a bidding war to overpay for elite transfers.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

That is my point. The fact that he didn't shoot a lot of 3s (for whatever reason) doesn't mean he was incapable of shooting 3s.

I don’t think the Carr example shows that though. Carr shot plenty on a per minute basis. He just didn’t get a ton of minutes. If someone is playing and not shooting, that’s a totally different situation.

 

[Flogballs]

This is all part of Barnes’ plan.

“Overpay” is subjective.

In general completely overhauling an elite 8 team on the surface seems risky.

 

[vol9799]

If Tennessee isn't willing to pay market value to retain its core, then I am mildly skeptical they will get into a bidding war to overpay for elite transfers.

This is the same core that everyone bemoaned when Michigan ran them off the court 8 days ago, and the same one everyone said wasn't championship caliber during the 11 previous losses. As fans, we kinda need to make up our minds instead of flipping our collective stances with the morning breeze...

 

[kong]

If Tennessee isn't willing to pay market value to retain its core, then I am mildly skeptical they will get into a bidding war to overpay for elite transfers.

I think the ament situation proves Barnes will pay top dollar for a guy he thinks is worth the price tag

 

[johnfnkelly]

I think the ament situation proves Barnes will pay top dollar for a guy he thinks is worth the price tag

I think Barnes paid him what he wanted because there wasn’t anything left at that point.

 

[TrapVol]

Nah. He called it and you laughed and doubted it. He's 3/3 so far

I’m still in a wait-and-see mode, myself. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to give credit for being right - whether from being an insider or a lucky guess - and still be cautious.
For now, I’m taking note of Volpatine’s success, but more repeatability will give me confidence that they have access to info that others do not.
That’s just a personal preference.

 

[wtmvol]

I haven't looked at other teams, but I would imagine a lot of fan bases are in freak-out mode today because all they're really hearing are the players leaving. Until the portal actually opens, you're only getting the departures, not the players coming in. We're going to be fine. We haven't lost 1 player who would have sniffed any playing time for any of the Final 4 teams.

We're actually ahead of many teams because we've already brought in a highly thought-of portal player

 

[TennesseeFan07]

This is the same core that everyone bemoaned when Michigan ran them off the court 8 days ago, and the same one everyone said wasn't championship caliber during the 11 previous losses. As fans, we kinda need to make up our minds instead of flipping our collective stances with the morning breeze...

Not me. Tennessee has lost an SEC quality starting center and a guard with two years of high level experience. What level of center can Tennessee get for under 1.5 million?

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Not me. Tennessee has lost an SEC quality starting center and a guard with two years of high level experience. What level of center can Tennessee get for under 1.5 million?

Where is that number coming from?

 

[TennesseeFan07]

I think the ament situation proves Barnes will pay top dollar for a guy he thinks is worth the price tag

That was a totally different scenario created by a rogue booster.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Not me. Tennessee has lost an SEC quality starting center and a guard with two years of high level experience. What level of center can Tennessee get for under 1.5 million?

Why would the center budget be 1.5M? We supposedly have 12-15 total and all these departures should free up plenty

 

[TennesseeFan07]

Where is that number coming from?

The alleged offer to JP.

 

[Vols410]

Not me. Tennessee has lost an SEC quality starting center and a guard with two years of high level experience. What level of center can Tennessee get for under 1.5 million?

Lol 1.5 million? We would've brought back Estrella for that easily IMO. I'd bet he's getting at least double that.

 

[Volpatine]

Lol 1.5 million? We would've brought back Estrella for that easily IMO. I'd bet he's getting at least double that.

I was told he is getting double that…at Indiana