Tennessee basketball hosted its second prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle on a visit earlier this week when Kansas point guard Sam “Deuce” Simmons Jr. unofficially visited.
“What stood out the most is their facilities are really nice and their culture was amazing to me,” Simmons told RTI. “How I was greeted by the players and all the coaches and all that so that was probably the best thing.”
Tennessee was the first school to offer the point guard back in early May after watching him in an Under Armor AAU tournament in Ohio. Assistant coach Gregg Polinsky watched and offered Simmons while Polinsky and Bryan Lentz are currently his main recruiters. Richmond has since offered Simmons.
“I was definitely in shock a little bit because I wasn’t expecting my first offer to be that big,” Simmons said. “They liked my pace and how I can control the game. Being undersized, I don’t really play how small I am. It was mainly my toughness defensively, being able to create for my teammates and for myself.”
A short point guard, Simmons ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 36 point guard in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to 247sports.
An undersized point guard who is a tough defender and good passer, the comparisons between Simmons and former Vol All-American point guard Zakai Zeigler are easy to make.
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“I definitely loved watching his game,” Simmons said. “I looked up to him as a big role model. We’re basically same height, but definitely was a comparison between me and him. They saw me and Zakai basically how he was his last year of AAU.”
Simmons learned what any recruit does who visits Tennessee and watches the Vols’ practice, how hard Rick Barnes is on his players between the lines. The son of former Northwestern and NFL receiver Sam Simmons Sr, the younger Simmons does not back away from the challenge.
“He’s definitely a very hard coacher,” Simmons said. “He likes to get on his guys. Make sure they’re always in the right spots. Doing the right things. A lot of people have been telling me he’s a hard coacher and if you can’t take hard coaching then Tennessee is not the spot for you. But I can definitely take hard coaching.”
Simmons plans on officially visiting Richmond later this summer and then returning to Tennessee for an official visit in the fall. A two-sport athlete at Olathe North High School, Simmons plays receiver and defensive back for the football team.
Tennessee basketball has yet to land a commit in the 2026 recruiting cycle to this point but is active hosting recruits this summer. Four-star power forward Trey Thompson officially visited over the weekend while four-star shooting guard Junior County will unofficially visit and four-star wing Gage Mayfield will officially visit later this summer.
