2026 Vols Transfer Portal Thread

#3,702
#3,702
walkenvol said:
Why keep harping on the “18 minutes” for a player returning from injury. What were his minutes averaged late in the season? Folks are paying for what they project him to be next year, not what he was at the start of this past season anyway.
Click to expand...
He is not a great player. If you think so that is fine but he isn’t. Staff offered him 2 and someone else over paid. If you want a great post players you look at guys line the kid from Georgia Tech or Thiem from Cincy. They are in on both.
 
#3,704
#3,704
If UNC, Michigan, or similar are competing against us for a player they really want, we ain't getting them. This is just reality I'm afraid. Hope I'm wrong.
 
#3,707
#3,707
Ttucke11 said:
I got on this morning expecting some good news and the sky is falling 😂

Doesnt seem like the donors are ponying up for Barnes. He's such a good coach he will put out a good team regardless, but I've seen this song and dance enough to know we always fall a little short on the money side no matter what the new narrative is.
Click to expand...
I don’t know how this ends, but we’re 4 days since the portal opened and 9 hours since the dead period ended, we are 1 of very few schools already with a commitment, JUST MAYBE we pull the breaks on a freak out and declaring that we know how this movie ends?
 
  • Like
Reactions: VOL931, VolsWinRLose, TrapVol and 7 others
#3,708
#3,708
bleedingTNorange said:
I don’t know how this ends, but we’re 4 days since the portal opened and 9 hours since the dead period ended, we are 1 of very few schools already with a commitment, JUST MAYBE we pull the breaks on a freak out and declaring that we know how this movie ends?
Click to expand...

Well, SF’s post doesn’t give much confidence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: berryvol, HeadVol77, Lankykong and 3 others
#3,709
#3,709
joevols89 said:
Well, we simply don’t have the alumni base of a Michigan or Indiana. And unlike UNC, we care about football. So don’t think it’s we aren’t willing, the resources just aren’t on the same level.

Can’t expect Jim Haslam and Pratt to fund all of NIL for all sports. Some of our richest alumni don’t care about athletics enough (or at all) to get involved in NIL. Once big Jim is gone, there will be a big void if Jimmy is still busy running a dumpster fire in Cleveland.
Click to expand...
To add on to this - it just takes 1 mega billionaire donor to just love this **** like the Raisin Canes guy does for LSU.
 
#3,712
#3,712
Stoerner Fumbles said:
As much as I love the coach and the team, this is directionally correct. The movement to get to the level of X team in budget and process is typically impaired by the reality that our budget is catching up to last year’s market in this year’s reality. UNC and Michigan have already stretched well beyond the offers against projected spend in week one, and inserted themselves into conversations we’ve been cultivating for months. Barnes’ need to carefully vet players for character, commitment and fit evolves to move faster every year, but perhaps not as fast as staffs with more nimble models. I have to admit that seeing a man in his seventies blend his knowledge and system with a changing game and shifting talent acquisition ecosystem is impressive. That said, we are hitting some friction in pushing through to the next level. The timing of losing Gainey on top of the portal opening, player leaving etc. makes it harder. I’m not a doubter. Barnes has a way of finding kids hiding behind a shed in Uruguay or Belmont and assembling a roster when all have lost hope. Unfortunately there was a moment last year when we missed with Rice and Burg and Massamba emerged that the sinking feeling set in. We went from a team with the horses to go far to a team with two scorers, a pool of developing talent, and a few guys that can hold space on the floor. It was impressive, but not enough to break through. Hoping for some breakthroughs in the next two weeks. We’ve been in on the right guys with the right support, but the market is already ratcheting up in front of our eyes. I think we’ll have to be fast and smart to get the right guys.
Click to expand...
So unlike everyone else, the UT basketball program does not realize and plan effectively for inflation year after year. Always a step behind. Got news for them, Rick ain’t getting any younger and building culture and developing players isn’t the goal at the end of coach’s career in the NIL era. They are effectively out of time. Either shoot your shot and give the man his budget for 1 maybe 2 more go arounds and act like you know how to form a competitive budget. Personally, I’d say “I’m good” and walk away at this point, fighting with one arm behind my back at his age. The stress and frustration of taking teams so close with less budget would incense me to no end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VOL931, Flovol, berryvol and 1 other person
#3,715
#3,715
Stoerner Fumbles said:
Factually you’re right and no Tanner isn’t in (yet). Ryan is right that Malone knows every agent and he’s been giving ( close to) unlimited resources to get the players he needs. The people on the board who said “don’t worry about UNC” are wrong. Having an NBA coach come into that program with their resources is going to shift the power dynamics in the ACC and the larger market. Players with sophisticated agents will get a look at the best opportunities.
Click to expand...
I didn’t say UNC would have no shot, I was pointing out that they already have what’s expected to be one of the best PGs in the country next year signed, and a guy wanting to stick, along with his brother who’s also a very good PG wanting to join him there. Maybe they cut both lose, maybe they go with a 3 PG system and Tanner loves that idea, I was just saying I’m not sure how much I see that fit there. As you mention Tanner still has yet to enter the portal, and you hinted yesterday it’s getting less and less likely that he actually does as things have “stalled”. No doubt Malone is going to be given every chance to succeed there, again I just question the fit for Tanner there with how they currently are constructed with Mingo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lankykong
#3,716
#3,716
Vols410 said:
All this doom and gloom in portal season when both football and basketball consistently get some of the best production out of the portal (maybe not hype, but production.)

It’s gonna be fine.
Click to expand...

You wouldn’t happen to have a metric like WS/40, would you?

I saw something on X that caught my eye on portal guys, but didn’t want to pay for it LMAO.
 
#3,717
#3,717
MrAtkins said:
So unlike everyone else, the UT basketball program does not realize and plan effectively for inflation year after year. Always a step behind. Got news for them, Rick ain’t getting any younger and building culture and developing players isn’t the goal at the end of coach’s career in the NIL era. They are effectively out of time. Either shoot your shot and give the man his budget for 1 maybe 2 more go arounds and act like you know how to form a competitive budget. Personally, I’d say “I’m good” and walk away at this point, fighting with one arm behind my back at his age. The stress and frustration of taking teams so close with less budget would incense me to no end.
Click to expand...
It’s not unlike everyone else. It’s unlike Michigan, UNC, and maybe an Indiana and Kentucky. We are going to be top 10 in spending. We just don’t have the resources that a few others have. This isn’t complicated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lankykong, therickbol and MoCo_Vol
#3,719
#3,719
There are more overpaid = underproduced portal stories elsewhere than here.

Team performance/production is all I care about... We just had our 5th straight 25 win season, 4th straight sweet sixteen and 3rd straight elite eight. And 5th straight top 20 team.

But college has no salary cap and it's the wild west out there, TN basketball will never be a top 5 spender under Rick Barnes...and honestly it may never happen. We have more mouths wanting fed (football, baseball, lady vols basketball/softball) and to be good everywhere you're rarely great anywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lankykong and InVOLuntary
#3,723
#3,723
bleedingTNorange said:
I didn’t say UNC would have no shot, I was pointing out that they already have what’s expected to be one of the best PGs in the country next year signed, and a guy wanting to stick, along with his brother who’s also a very good PG wanting to join him there. Maybe they cut both lose, maybe they go with a 3 PG system and Tanner loves that idea, I was just saying I’m not sure how much I see that fit there. As you mention Tanner still has yet to enter the portal, and you hinted yesterday it’s getting less and less likely that he actually does as things have “stalled”. No doubt Malone is going to be given every chance to succeed there, again I just question the fit for Tanner there with how they currently are constructed with Mingo.
Click to expand...
I agree. I was responding more to the statement someone made yesterday to “not worry about UNC because they’re a dead program”. As for their involvement with Tanner, I have no insight, nor do I know how he sees roster. Malone can have a conversation with anyone he wants given his relationships in that world.
 
  • Like
Reactions: berryvol
#3,724
#3,724
rowdyvolunteer said:
back to back to back newcomer of the year, you are right they all are the same DA.
Click to expand...
Look, I have no complaints about the top guys we’ve gotten every year. I think that’s great and have loved them all. But I think like everyone else, I’d like to see us (in football and basketball) put all the pieces together at once. I’m not blaming anyone (I dare you to find a negative word I’ve said about Barnes), but as someone else said it now takes more than just the “Newcomer of the Year” to cross that threshold. Especially when you are doing a full reset like we’ve done last year and now this year.

If that makes me a DA in your eyes, I’ll send you an accounting in the morning about how much sleep I lose tonight over that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jonboy, Ttucke11, hard in the paint and 2 others
#3,725
#3,725
bleedingTNorange said:
I don’t know how this ends, but we’re 4 days since the portal opened and 9 hours since the dead period ended, we are 1 of very few schools already with a commitment, JUST MAYBE we pull the breaks on a freak out and declaring that we know how this movie ends?
Click to expand...
Not freaking out at all. Said we will end up with a good team. I feel like I'm an odd post to respond to.
 
New Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

Advertisement



Back
Top