2026 Vols Transfer Portal Thread

#9,303
#9,303
bleedingTNorange said:
My dream scenario is Payne, Juke and a solid big man add…call it a day. I unfortunately don’t think that’s the route they’ll go, but I would love it if they did.
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What I will say: every single move that staff has made this offseason looks obviously smart and thought out. I have a lot of faith that the big they bring in will fit/make sense. And if they roll with the guards as is (+Juke, goes without saying), it'll be intentional. There's a ton of value in the portal, TN has done an awesome job identifying that and I think they'll be able to find a guy or two to fit what they want.

Man, I'm so excited.
 
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#9,304
#9,304
berryvol said:
I know you’re big on the Lundblade can’t defend wagon, and I won’t fight you on that, but I think you may be overrating Boswell’s defense - I know many on here did all season. Not putting words in your mouth, but tons of people on here were likening him to Shack and some other great Barnes-era defenders here when he’s never been close to that level. As a matter of fact, he was downright dreadful against good ball handlers most of the season, especially down the stretch in conference play - even acknowledging that he got the toughest guard assignment most nights. All that said, in the case of Boswell, I’d happily trade his defense for an elite 3 point threat.
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Some truth here. I won’t argue against you here other than to say I think Lundblade and Boswell were both overpaid in the portal, but at the end of the day if I had to chose one to come off the bench and play a role on next years team it would be Boswell because at the very least I know he’s a winner and a hell of a competitor who will at least hold his own and compete in every aspect of the game.

And honestly with Hill, Ames, and Juke we really could use a guy like that more so than another shooter who is a total liability defensively, imo.

I just think Barnes has a little bit overcompensated for our offensive woes lately with that take. It’s like when you just slice the **** out of the ball 3 straight times and then the next tee shot you aim on the next fairway to the left and now you hit it straight but your still in the ****.
 
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#9,308
#9,308
StPeteVFL said:
Some truth here. I won’t argue against you here other than to say I think Lundblade and Boswell were both overpaid in the portal, but at the end of the day if I had to chose one to come off the bench and play a role on next years team it would be Boswell because at the very least I know he’s a winner and a hell of a competitor who will at least hold his own and compete in every aspect of the game.

And honestly with Hill, Ames, and Juke we really could use a guy like that more so than another shooter who is a total liability defensively, imo.

I just think Barnes has a little bit overcompensated for our offensive woes lately with that take. It’s like when you just slice the **** out of the ball 3 straight times and then the next tee shot you aim on the next fairway to the left and now you hit it straight but your still in the ****.
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The idea that you would choose a guy who averaged 6ppg over a guy who averaged nearly 17 is just a wild take. Defense is important, but starting guards like Mashack and Boswell limited our ceiling the past couple of years. It puts so much pressure on guys like Lanier, Ament, Gillespie, etc when you have guys playing 25 min who are only going to give you 3, maybe 4 buckets a game.
 
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#9,309
#9,309
StPeteVFL said:
I see what you are saying on Ames vs Ament but I think you are forgetting defense and rebounding. Ament’s value in those two areas compared to Ames would outweigh Ames slight edge in shooting efficiency imo.

Also, Gillispie is a much better defender than Hill. That position will be a downgrade imo. Same with Lanblade vs Boswell. I would honestly take Boswell straight up over Lundblade right now.

We clearly don’t see eye to eye on the value of defense and rebounding.

I think as of right now last years roster was better than our current one. Granted if we land Juke that changes, but even then I don’t think we would good enough defensively and on the boards to get to the final 4.

Top 10 team yes, but imo we would need Juke AND either Ament or TT to have a final 4 caliber roster.
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Gillespie was a terrible defender. What are you talking about? He couldn’t stay in front of anyone.

Love Gillespie and he was a good ball theft. But as a contain perimeter defender he was bad.
 
#9,314
#9,314
Tall_Vol said:
The Wednesday Basilio Blog:

Well We Made It!
As you read this the portal has closed and we're going to see what, if any goodies await Tennessee as they try to put the finishing touches on a portal haul/signing class that could be all time great by the time this comes to fruition. If UT fails to add a front line PG, they've still done very well, and with Juke Harris (who they think they're getting after he flirts with the NBA), this team should be poised to compete at the top of college basketball next season. We've documented the portal every step of the way and will continue to do so. Please understand that UT has been very tight-lipped on whom they were attempting to pull into the portal in the 11th hour last night. As you read this perhaps some names have emerged. Or maybe not. Rest assured we'll do our best to dig what's there.

As for the PG1 target ... I'll make doubly sure he didn't hit the portal late last night and then reveal who we've been chasing today on the air ... If he's in, I'm probably going to shut up for fear we could get in the way. Don't want to do that to Barnes & Co after they've put in this hard work. As I've written and said ad nauseam, much respect is due to Barnes and staff for amassing an impressive haul. Kentucky is proving that succeeding at putting a quality team together isn't just about spending money. The Mid-Cats can't find enough quality players to even take their money. Kentucky basketball fans are both envious and obsessed with what UT is doing in hoops and I find it comical. Bring it on ...
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If he's in, I'm probably going to shut up for fear we could get in the way. Don't want to do that to Barnes & Co after they've put in this hard work.

Wow
 
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#9,319
#9,319
berryvol said:
I know you’re big on the Lundblade can’t defend wagon, and I won’t fight you on that, but I think you may be overrating Boswell’s defense - I know many on here did all season. Not putting words in your mouth, but tons of people on here were likening him to Shack and some other great Barnes-era defenders here when he’s never been close to that level. As a matter of fact, he was downright dreadful against good ball handlers most of the season, especially down the stretch in conference play - even acknowledging that he got the toughest guard assignment most nights. All that said, in the case of Boswell, I’d happily trade his defense for an elite 3 point threat.
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Boswell made mizzu’s TO Barrett look like a first round pick
 
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#9,322
#9,322
Hill | 30 MPG | 15 PPG
Lundblade | 30 MPG | 11 PPG
Harris | 30 MPG | 17 PPG
Haralson | 30 MPG | 13 PPG
Rubin | 25 MPG | 7 PPG
-
Ames | 30 MPG | 13 PPG
Brown | 15 MPG | 6 PPG
Backup C | 10 MPG | 3 PPG

8 man rotation is a little thin, but Arizona had success with 8. If Rubin has any offensive game, this team can dominate from everywhere. Freshmen to fill in for any (hopefully none) injuries and spot minutes. I like it!
 
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#9,323
#9,323
allamericanfulk said:
As long as we get Juke, then all this Tanner stuff was just a fun distraction to help pass the time.

Plus maybe an unpopular opinion but I’d much rather have a year two Ament over Tanner as well
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If Nate returns, it's because he knows what another year's work will mean to him and to his game, and that's not small potatoes. It signals commitment. The coaching staff have been vocal about his dedication to work.
Tanner won't commit to the portal at this point.
 
#9,324
#9,324
StPeteVFL said:
From VQ

On the bigs search ... Tennessee has spent the past couple days looking into bigs and searching for its ideal fits in the portal. The staff has talked to some options and will whittle that group down to who they want to visit.

Tennessee has brought in visitors very specifically so far this offseason. It will keep doing so with the bigs.

My question is why are we just now whittling down our list and still figuring who we want when only 15 of the top 100 portal guys are still available and we’ve known there is a major need in post for a while now?
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We have 5 commits who averaged a combined 75 points per game last year. The guys who left combined for 31.5 points per game and there were 6 of them. What is this "just now whittling down our list?". All of our guys are top 100 portal players (on 247).We already have 5% of the 100 best players in a league with 360 teams in it. In terms of post play, Miles Rubin literally led the country in shot block percentage a few years ago and had more PPG than Estrella last year. Relax dawg. Like, we are absolutely cooking and in a year where every big is way overvaluing their worth, it's probably best to do your due diligence before spending over a million dollars on a guy who is likely to be coming off the bench.
 
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#9,325
#9,325
RyanWalkerPGH said:
Such a promising start to the portal just to trip over your own dick at the finish line lol
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In what way? We have 5 top 100 players in the country. We took the six guys who transferred away, and replaced them with five guys who had 43 more combined points per game last year.
 
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