Four-star class of 2026 wing Billy “Blanco” White III unofficially visited Tennessee basketball over the weekend as the Vols knocked off South Carolina to conclude the regular season.
White toured the campus and Tennessee’s facilities before the game, saying Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is probably his “favorite” arena that he’s been to at this point in his recruitment. But it was what White observed when the game began that stood out most to him.
“I liked the way their coaching staff interacts with their players. They never get too crazy but they’re never too calm. They tell you what you need to hear and do in that moment,” White told RTI. “The coaches how they interact with each other. I really like that. Especially being right behind the bench, I got to see how they talked to everybody. I really was drawn to it.”
Tennessee honored its seven seniors following its 75-65 win over South Carolina and it was a particularly boisterous celebration for Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack who became fan favorites and Tennessee legends during their four-year careers.
White observed not only the response from the fans towards the duo but also their embraces with Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes.
“The responses they got from the crowd, it was really loud for a senior night,” White said. “That just shows you how impacted they were and that program and how the fanbase views them. And then just their interaction with Coach Barnes, you could see they really love Coach Barnes which means he has to be a really good coach to give that response to him. Just with my conversation with Coach Barnes and the staff, I can tell that it is family based there and they just want the best for you.”
White ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 49 player in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings. A Corpus Christie native, White also ranks as the No. 5 player in the state of Texas and the No. 19 small forward in the 2026 cycle.
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Tennessee was in early on White when Barnes and assistant coach Rod Clark watched him at a 3SSB circuit even in South Carolina last summer. From there, Clark and White have built a strong relationship and Tennessee was the first high major to offer White.
“I had five offers at the time and they were all mid major offers and Coach Clark called me when I was on the road and offered me,” White said. “I have a real special relationship with him because that was my first high major offer with it being a program like Tennessee, that’s a high-level program so just with our conversations, he really likes my game and Coach Barnes and the staff really likes my game and how I could fit there.”
White is a high-level shooter, scoring 18.8 points on 59% shooting from the field and 47% shooting from three-point range in his junior season at Veterans Memorial High School. On the defensive end, the 6-foot-7 wing has great versatility and prides himself on being able to guard one-through-four with his 6-foot-10 wing span.
The blue-chip recruit liked what he saw from Tennessee’s offense and believes he’s a good fit in Barnes’ system.
“How they played with a lot of the pick-and-rolls and screens, I feel like that fits my game really well,” White said. “Especially with what I can do. I’m really drawn to the way they play offensively and defensively, I like their scheme as well. Being able to defend the paint but also close out to shooters and then rebounding the ball— I feel like I do that as well. I really do see myself fitting in Coach Barnes system there.”
White took visits to Texas, Texas A&M and TCU during the winter but doesn’t have any more visits planned as he prepares for the start of his AAU season. The four-star recruit doesn’t have anything lined up but says he “for sure” plans on returning to Tennessee for an official visit either in the summer or in the fall.
