Roster Construction 2026

#29
#29
VolFan_stuck_in_the_901 said:
Believe he's a draft eligible sophomore; some pro team is gonna fall in love with his stuff and draft him in the 5th-7th round and pay over the slot bonus money to get him to go pro. I won't be surprised if - like Halvorsen - he's in an MLB bullpen as the setup man/closer within a year or two.
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This is a likely scenario, I would imagine. He gave everyone a glimpse of what his true ceiling might be the last 3 weeks of the season.
 
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#33
#33
If I did the math correctly, with the addition of Landon Mack that puts us at 9 portal commits. If we hypothetically lose 7 guys (I think that is a safe to slightly high number) to the draft between transfer guys and HS commits that currently puts our roster at 39. This is with 0 of the draft-eligible returning guys coming back (Bargo, Peebles, Chapman, Arvidson, etc.)

I believe our number has to be at 38 by August 1st, so if we get a few more transfer guys like we should and get a surprise top HS guy to campus, you would probably see a few of the lower ranked HS guys de-commit or hit the portal after the draft.
 
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#38
#38
So by my count, including returning players, portal commits, juco commits, and incoming freshman, the roster currently sits at 45 guys. I know some won’t make it to campus and we probably get more guys from the portal, so it’s still all fluid at this point.

Does anyone know when the roster has to be at the 34 number? Is it in August or after fall semester? If it’s early, how does the staff make decisions on the incoming freshman? It seems like you wouldn’t get a chance to see what you’ve got before decisions had to be made.

I know UT has oversigned every year and the new rules will cut down on that, but not a huge fan of the roster number changes. The one positive for me is we probably get an official roster a lot sooner now instead of early to mid February like we’re accustomed to😄.
 
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#39
#39
Gilbert said:
So by my count, including returning players, portal commits, juco commits, and incoming freshman, the roster currently sits at 45 guys. I know some won’t make it to campus and we probably get more guys from the portal, so it’s still all fluid at this point.

Does anyone know when the roster has to be at the 34 number? Is it in August or after fall semester? If it’s early, how does the staff make decisions on the incoming freshman? It seems like you wouldn’t get a chance to see what you’ve got before decisions had to be made.

I know UT has oversigned every year and the new rules will cut down on that, but not a huge fan of the roster number changes. The one positive for me is we probably get an official roster a lot sooner now instead of early to mid February like we’re accustomed to😄.
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During the coaches convention, it was discussed to allow 38 with the final 34 to be submitted by 12/1/25. Nothing was made official to my knowledge.
 
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#41
#41
preacherman20 said:
The sad part is that coaches don't know until mid-August whether guys are signing with pros to know if they are coming or not.
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Pretty sure that was wholly intentional when establishing the dates.

Different angle. Will this process be a boon for JCs, DIIs and DIIIs that have close relationships with the P4 schools used to stock piling players for future playing time?
 
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#42
#42
I think you will find players go both ways now like you used to see in football. Coaches will build stronger relationships with juco's and start sending their future players there for a year to develop and then they move to the P4 schools. It will be interesting. I can't imagine being a player/parent in today's culture coming out of HS or a competitive coach trying to manage the roster. You have to sign the big names but you also have to have someone to fill their spot if they are drafted and don't come.
 
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#43
#43
chuckiepoo said:
Pretty sure that was wholly intentional when establishing the dates.

Different angle. Will this process be a boon for JCs, DIIs and DIIIs that have close relationships with the P4 schools used to stock piling players for future playing time?
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Locally, Walters State and Pellissippi will benefit greatly from 34 man rosters. I wouldn’t doubt it will help TN Tech, ETSU, and MTSU as well.
 
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#44
#44
preacherman20 said:
I think you will find players go both ways now like you used to see in football. Coaches will build stronger relationships with juco's and start sending their future players there for a year to develop and then they move to the P4 schools. It will be interesting. I can't imagine being a player/parent in today's culture coming out of HS or a competitive coach trying to manage the roster. You have to sign the big names but you also have to have someone to fill their spot if they are drafted and don't come.
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With the way TV recruits there really needs to be a way to finish your roster after the MLB signings. If you loose most of your incoming class to MLB you may not even have enough for the 34 man roster. It's crazy what all coaches have to deal with. Transfer portal and draft makes it much harder for baseball coaches.
 
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#49
#49
tn4elvis said:
Give him a shot at it. Frank and Tony see him every day so I am sure that they have their reasons. However when he has gone extended innings he has pitched well.
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It sounds like he wanted pretty close to a guarantee of a starting spot.

Anderson & Tony just don’t do that kind of stuff. Heck, they wouldn’t even do it for Chase Burns
 
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#50
#50
tn4elvis said:
Give him a shot at it. Frank and Tony see him every day so I am sure that they have their reasons. However when he has gone extended innings he has pitched well.
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I love Loy and his stuff. But I don’t see him as a starting pitcher either. I do 100% understand why he wants that opportunity and I hope he crushes it at Ga Tech. But they aren’t going to promise a guy a starting spot. They wouldn’t even do it for Chase.
 
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