Tennessee basketball transfer power forward Jaylen Carey committed to Missouri on Monday night. Carey entered the transfer portal last week after spending just one season in Knoxville.
Carey had an up-and-down junior season at Tennessee, averaging 7.4 points and six rebounds in his 37 games played. He had strong moments early in the season, especially in a three-game stretch against Houston, Kansas and Syracuse where he averaged 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.
The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward played some of his best basketball at the right time of year. Carey had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in Tennessee’s win over Iowa State while also scoring 10 points against Virginia and eight points against Michigan.
But Carey struggled for much of SEC play including an 11 game stretch where he scored in double figures just once. Carey was an inefficient post scorer, shooting 48.7% from the field and 49.1% from the line.
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Following Tennessee’s season-ending loss against Michigan, Carey told RTI that he intended to return to Tennessee for his senior season.
“If they want me back, I definitely do want to be here,” Carey told RTI. “I love it here. I definitely do want to change my body around. I want to get into the best shape and be more effective for them. That was a goal for me coming into the season this year and I let that part down. My main focus when I come back is I won’t let that happen again. That’s just the main focus.”
But after returning to Knoxville and having his end of year meeting with Tennessee’s coaching staff, Carey opted to enter the portal and ended up at Missouri for his final collegiate season.
The Tigers are coming off a 20-13 season where they earned a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to Miami in the first round. The SEC has yet to release the 2027 conference schedules but Tennessee will play Missouri at least once.
It’s a fourth school in four years for Carey. He began his career at James Madison before transferring to Vanderbilt and later Tennessee.
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Carey was one of six Tennessee players to enter the transfer portal following the season including Cade Phillips, Clarence Massamba, J.P. Estrella, Amari Evans and Bishop Boswell.
Tennessee has landed three commitments in the portal to date including Belmont sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade, Cal combo guard Dai Dai Ames and Loyola (Chicago) Miles Rubin. The Vols are hosting Notre Dame wing Jalen Haralson and VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. for visits in the middle of this week.
