2025 Transfer Portal Thread

[BatteredVolFan]

Very unlikely

Why is that? I feel like he’d make more money playing another year at UT than he would anywhere else.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Why is that? I feel like he’d make more money playing another year at UT than he would anywhere else.

Sometimes kids are ready to be done with school and start the next chapter of their lives, I think he also respects the move the staff made to bring in Gillespie and for him to run point

 

[All Vol!]

I automatically cut every financial report about NIL salary by 50%. It reminds me of locker room lies guys used to tell about their dating lives.

Or - restaurant workers will get this- those servers who always claimed they walked with no less than $250/night in tips…at their last job.

 

[NighthawkVol]

If Miles wants in, it makes a ton of sense to take him. He’s a SG who is a 43% 3 point shooter. That’s exactly what we need. If he wants to drive up the price and play the bidding war game, I understand passing though.

 

[CAVPUT]

If Miles wants in, it makes a ton of sense to take him. He’s a SG who is a 43% 3 point shooter. That’s exactly what we need. If he wants to drive up the price and play the bidding war game, I understand passing though.

Yep. Like the crude saying goes....chit or get off the pot. Won't lose any sleep either way on this one. Jeremiah was the one I really wanted anyway.

 

[Bigorangefan 98]

VQ says Miles smoke is real

Makes sense , we need shooter s

 

[Milehigh_Vol]

Is there any chance Zeigler would choose to return as well if allowed?

Not happening at all. That was basically the promise to Ja’Kobi

 

[RyanWalkerPGH]

From Basilio this morning:

“Okpara, the brother of UT center Felix Okpara, would join his brother in Knoxville as a late edition to the Vols. Kennedy Okpara committed yesterday to Lipscomb, who are expected to give him immediate playing time. Kennedy Okpara's decision to play in Nashville opens another spot for Tennessee, who now will have potentially 3 spots available if they go to 15. They surely have one more take.

​

I do think they're trying to get Duke Miles from Oklahoma who just cut ties with A&M. If it's not Miles it will be another pretty good player. What I'm saying here is that Tennessee isn't done yet. It's confusing, I know. Miles is an accomplished college shooter and would help this team. Miles has committed to a couple of different schools since entering the portal. Tennessee, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Baylor, USC and Iowa are all on him in this go around. Of course two spots are being held open for Gainey and ZZ who are expected to attempt to come back at some point if the conditions present themselves. There are some pending court cases out there plus the House Ruling isn't completely settled. Rosters are expected to go to 15. Fun stuff ... When news breaks out, we'll break in ...”


I do find it odd he mentioned ZZ. In the last few weeks he was downplaying his desire to return as BTO has been saying.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

He’s also stated we were getting Freeman and & McKneely as well as Rice, I wouldn’t necessarily take what he says as the gospel.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

On Miles, have nothing at all, I did see that new assistant coach Amorrow Morgan has been following Miles for awhile, so maybe there’s a connection or relationship there that made Tennessee feel better or different about things. Maybe nothing at all, but just saw that and figured it was worth mentioning.

 

[cncchris33]

He’s also stated we were getting Freeman and & McKneely as well as Rice, I wouldn’t necessarily take what he says as the gospel.

To be fair, it's been pretty common knowledge and thoroughly discussed that we had all all of those guys all but locked up until the 11th hour.

@Stoerner Fumbles confirmed Rice is only the second player that we've drawn up paperwork for who ended up getting away. He also confirmed we had Freeman until a late after-hours play by Auburn on a holiday weekend over Easter weekend. McKneely was allegedly Tennessee's to lose until the snafu with Tennessee not having his major and him losing something like 20-ish credit hours toward graduation if he came here.

None of that discounts the idea of proceeding with caution around Basilio information, but thise examples of him "being wrong" aren't really fair. Everyone was wrong on those for varying reasons.

 

[nateernst]

Until Todd Kirk says we’re going after Miles, I’m not believing it. Wouldn’t mind another add though by any means Miles or not.

 

[omghulkhands]

What’s the buzz for why Miles decommited?

 

[cncchris33]

What’s the buzz for why Miles decommited?

He finally got a firsthand glimpse of those weirdos in white jumpsuits doing 1950's-era yell routines.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

To be fair, it's been pretty common knowledge and thoroughly discussed that we had all all of those guys all but locked up until the 11th hour.

@Stoerner Fumbles confirmed Rice is only the second player that we've drawn up paperwork for who ended up getting away. He also confirmed we had Freeman until a late after-hours play by Auburn on a holiday weekend over Easter.
McKneely was allegedly Tennessee's to lose until the snafu with Tennessee not having his major and him losing something like 20-ish credit hours toward graduation if he came here.

None of that discounts the idea of proceeding with caution around Basilio information, but thise examples of him "being wrong" aren't really fair. Everyone was wrong on those for varying reasons.

This is accurate and appropriate for this situation. Basilio annoys me, but he is often right and wrong on an ambiguous sliding scale. Since I said what I said about Rice and Freeman, Barnes echoed it at the recent Orange Caravan stops. He explained that we had players who stated in black and white that they wanted to be here, but couldn’t due to money. Rice promised to give us a last call prior to any decision. He did. He literally said, he would come here if we met a number 20% under USC. We couldn’t get there due to the precedent it would set, and the need to adjust others. The nuance with Miles is this: We offered him a spot and a number. He can revisit that offer and number after his Georgetown visit, but any offer he gets there will be irrelevant. Yesterday when I said he isn’t currently in our plans, that’s why. You can’t blame the kids who might get life-changing money for their families now and possibly never again. You also can’t blame us for holding our strategic plan. There are too many personal variables in a dysfunctional system. For those of you who have asked about ZZ, it’s the same puzzle. Right now, there are no plans for his return. If the action passes and players are approved to return before he takes the next career step, that may change. Barnes may also tell him to take the money he can get elsewhere. We don’t know. We’d like to add another shooter. We might. It might be Miles or it might be Gainey. It might be someone else or no one else. Unfortunately I can only share the current information in a really volatile landscape.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

He finally got a firsthand glimpse of those weirdos in white jumpsuits doing 1950's-era yell routines.

Nothing is worse than Eisenhower era gay farmer porn.

 

[vol9799]

Nothing is worse than Eisenhower era gay farmer porn.

Well that's a mental image we can all associate with yell leaders now. I thought they were repulsive enough by themselves, but no, you had take it up a notch.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

To be fair, it's been pretty common knowledge and thoroughly discussed that we had all all of those guys all but locked up until the 11th hour.

@Stoerner Fumbles confirmed Rice is only the second player that we've drawn up paperwork for who ended up getting away. He also confirmed we had Freeman until a late after-hours play by Auburn on a holiday weekend over Easter weekend. McKneely was allegedly Tennessee's to lose until the snafu with Tennessee not having his major and him losing something like 20-ish credit hours toward graduation if he came here.

None of that discounts the idea of proceeding with caution around Basilio information, but thise examples of him "being wrong" aren't really fair. Everyone was wrong on those for varying reasons.

I mean those were the first few that came to mind this cycle…he had Tennessee taking/landing Kennedy Okpara as well, and early on mentioned Milicic as a potential returnee. He’s been wrong more than right since the season ended, not saying there haven’t been circumstances around many of those but it’s also why many have stopped speaking in absolutes, he’s yet to join the party and wants people to take every word of his as truth, until it’s not. Again not saying there’s not some excuses, or reasonings, but just saying I would really take what he says as an absolute or some guarantee.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

On Miles, have nothing at all, I did see that new assistant coach Amorrow Morgan has been following Miles for awhile, so maybe there’s a connection or relationship there that made Tennessee feel better or different about things. Maybe nothing at all, but just saw that and figured it was worth mentioning.

Be interested to watch what he does coming off the Georgetown visit which is supposed to start today, they don’t necessarily have a wide open spot starting spot for him, so is it just about money? Does he commit while there like he has his other visits? I do think our interest in him is legit to a certain extent as SF said, I don’t think we’re desperate by any means and so we will recruit him accordingly.

 

[Volman678]

I think it's likely we add someone else

 

[cncchris33]

I mean those were the first few that came to mind this cycle…he had Tennessee taking/landing Kennedy Okpara as well, and early on mentioned Milicic as a potential returnee. He’s been wrong more than right since the season ended, not saying there haven’t been circumstances around many of those but it’s also why many have stopped speaking in absolutes, he’s yet to join the party and wants people to take every word of his as truth, until it’s not. Again not saying there’s not some excuses, or reasonings, but just saying I would really take what he says as an absolute or some guarantee.

Not trying to be combative, but you, yourself, seemed pretty convinced K. Okpara was going to be here. So again, probably not a great example. Milicic returning is probably the best example mentioned as I've not seen that possibility mentioned by anyone I'd consider to be in the know. I've not seen/heard Tony mention that, but I can't say it didn't happen, either.

I think most people know to only believe half of what he says and to question the other half. I do think he has some D-list sources (more in baseball and basketball than in football), but I also think he gets a lot of information from sites like this one, perhaps even your own information.

I agree that he feels an unnecessary responsibility to be "first" with information and presents a lot of things as fact and foregone conclusions that are still not concrete because he wants to be on the leading edge. How he hasn't somehow realized that being wrong so often because of that practice damages his credibility is beyond me, but he doesn't have to answer to anyone but his listeners, so as long as they still listen, it doesn't affect him.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Don’t disagree with any of that, maybe ZZ shocks us all and returns and Tony looks like a genius, I just don’t see it as likely as of today and don’t believe that is in Zeigler’s plans at all…maybe that changes though like many things these days do.

 

[hUTch2002]

Jesus lol

No, Jesus is more like 10M.

 

[omghulkhands]

This is accurate and appropriate for this situation. Basilio annoys me, but he is often right and wrong on an ambiguous sliding scale. Since I said what I said about Rice and Freeman, Barnes echoed it at the recent Orange Caravan stops. He explained that we had players who stated in black and white that they wanted to be here, but couldn’t due to money. Rice promised to give us a last call prior to any decision. He did. He literally said, he would come here if we met a number 20% under USC. We couldn’t get there due to the precedent it would set, and the need to adjust others. The nuance with Miles is this: We offered him a spot and a number. He can revisit that offer and number after his Georgetown visit, but any offer he gets there will be irrelevant. Yesterday when I said he isn’t currently in our plans, that’s why. You can’t blame the kids who might get life-changing money for their families now and possibly never again. You also can’t blame us for holding our strategic plan. There are too many personal variables in a dysfunctional system. For those of you who have asked about ZZ, it’s the same puzzle. Right now, there are no plans for his return. If the action passes and players are approved to return before he takes the next career step, that may change. Barnes may also tell him to take the money he can get elsewhere. We don’t know. We’d like to add another shooter. We might. It might be Miles or it might be Gainey. It might be someone else or no one else. Unfortunately I can only share the current information in a really volatile landscape.

That's wild lol.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

That's wild lol.

It is. Wilder maybe that Barnes talks about it in a matter of fact way publicly. At the Caravan, he didn’t say specific names. He just said we had players who desperately wanted to be here (Rice) but we couldn’t make the number. Rice might be the most proportionately overpaid NIL basketball player to date. It’s a bummer. I love his game.