Tennessee basketball hosted one of its top transfer portal targets on a visit this week in Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson.
“I love the weather,” Haralson told RTI of his visit Wednesday. “Coach Barnes is real transparent, so all those things as well. I loved it.”
Tennessee’s veteran head coach is known for his bluntness and honesty both as a coach and in recruiting. Barnes message to Haralson was a simple one.
“He wants to win a national championship, so that’s the goal for him,” Haralson said. “Like, he obviously wants the players to do it and he feels like I’m one of those players.”
Haralson is coming off a freshman season where he averaged 16.2 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Fighting Irish.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward has an extremely versatile skillset that allows him to play multiple positions. Haralson did not shoot the ball well from the perimeter this past season but was stout at handling the basketball and scoring at the rim.
Those were some areas that Barnes highlighted while watching film Haralson during the visit.
“My versatility,” Haralson said. “Me and my ability to impact the games in a lot of ways, especially, just pushing the break, just playing basketball, man. That’s what it is.”
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Haralson said that he is a position-less basketball player and Tennessee believes he can play one through four.
The former McDonald’s All-American is one of the most coveted transfers in the country. He ranks as a four-star and the No. 23 player in the transfer portal according to 247sports. On3 ranks Haralson as a four-star and the No. 37 player in the portal while EvanMiya ranks him as a four-star and the No. 62 player in the portal.
Haralson is down to a top group that includes Tennessee, Ohio State and North Carolina. The trip to Tennessee was his first visit and he is unsure whether he will take any others. For now, Haralson is traveling back to Indiana and discussing plans with his family.
“We’ll come together as a family, talk together and there should be a decision made soon,” Haralson said.
Tennessee is coming off of three straight trips to the Elite Eight and has emerged as one of the best programs in not only the SEC but the entire country. The Vols past success and Barnes’ track record as a head coach are part of the selling point to Tennessee.
“They win,” Haralson said. “They win at the highest level. They develop guys. They get guys to the next level and that’s my dream.”
