Tennessee basketball typically does not host official visitors in the fall on weekends that the football team is on the road. But Rick Barnes and his staff are bucking the trend this weekend as they host a pair of their top targets for official visits around the Vols’ sold-out exhibition matchup against Duke.
Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr and four-star shooting guard Jasiah Jervis are both officially visiting Tennessee basketball this weekend, multiple sources told RTI Thursday.
The Vols were originally scheduled to host four-star power forward Cody Peck and five-star power forward Christian Collins on official visits but neither will visit this weekend. Peck is now officially visiting Tennessee next weekend for the Oklahoma game.
Collins cancelled his visit due to a unforeseen family matter, a source told RTI. Tennessee will work to try and get Collins, the nation’s No. 6 player, back on an official visit but the belief is that the Southern California native will stay closer to home due to the family situation.
Rippey ranks as a five-star recruit and the No. 11 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-2 prospect also ranks as the No. 2 point guard in the 2026 cycle.
More From RTI: Chris Lofton Highlights New Vol Network Basketball Crew With Mike Keith
Tennessee is battling heavy competition to land Rippey with the five-star point guard visiting Miami, North Carolina, Texas, Syracuse, Kentucky and Duke this fall. He also has an official visit scheduled to NC State in November. The Vols are also pursuing five-star point guard Miles Sadler who officially visited Tennessee earlier this fall.
Jervis ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 35 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Jervis also ranks as the No. 2 shooting guard in the country. The Bronx native, ranking as the No. 2 player in the state of New York.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has taken official visits to NC State, Michigan State, Illinois and Pitt already this fall. He is announcing his commitment on Nov. 5 with the five schools he’s visited making up the five finalists.
Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains three commits including from four-star wing Ralph Scott, four-star wing Manny Green and three-star point guard Marquis Clark. The Vols’ three-commit recruiting class currently ranks No. 9 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
