After J.P. Estrella revealed Michigan as his transfer destination on Thursday afternoon, there are now five remaining former Tennessee players who are still trying to figure out their next collegiate program. Two of those players include Cade Phillips and Amari Evans.
One team that looks to be interested in both Phillips and Evans to some degree is Maryland. According to Instagram reports from InsideMDSports247 and Jeff Ermann, the Terrapins recently hosted Phillips and Evans on individual Zoom Call meetings.
Maryland hired former Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams as their head coach in April 2025. During Williams’ first year with the program, the Terrapins went just 12-21 overall and 4-16 in Big Ten play. Maryland finished second-to-last in their conference.
The 6-foot-9 Phillips spent his first three years with Tennessee, but was hardly seen on the court during his junior season this past year. Phillips played in the Vols’ first 10 games with nine starts, but then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
Williams coached against Phillips on just one occasion, which came during the Aggies’ home loss against Tennessee during the 2024-2025 season. Phillips played 17 minutes in that game, scoring two points while making his lone shot attempt in the game. He also pulled down two rebounds and was called for two fouls during that game.
Prior to his injury in the 25-26 season, Phillips was averaging 3.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per contest. During his last full season, which came in the Vols’ 24-25 campaign, he averaged 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.
More From RTI: Cal Transfer Guard Visiting Tennessee Basketball This Weekend
Evans, on the other hand, just wrapped up his freshman season with the Volunteers and entered the transfer portal afterwards. Evans was an important guard for Tennessee during his lone season in Knoxville with a role that continued to grow throughout the season. He averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game with the Vols, but his numbers were better in SEC play with 5.2 PPG and 3.5 RPG. Evans was also known for his strong defensive presence on the perimeter, which helped him find time on the court in Rick Barnes’ program.
Evans played in 35 games for the Vols with an average of 14.4 minutes on the court per game. He earned two starts late in the regular season as Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament was sidelined with an injury before the SEC Tournament. Evans’ best game of the season came when he scored 24 points in the regular season finale against Vanderbilt. It was one of two SEC double-digit scoring showings for the freshman, with the other coming against Arkansas in the conference opener (16 points).
With J.P. Estrella’s commitment to Michigan on Thursday, Tennessee still has five players in the portal and looking for a home: guard Bishop Boswell, guard Clarence Massamba, wing Amari Evans, forward Cade Phillips, and forward Jaylen Carey.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball roster news with the portal open.
