On Monday morning, Tennessee basketball landed the top-ranked transfer in the portal, Wake Forest guard Juke Harris. As a result, expectations have rocketed in Knoxville for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
College hoops pundit Jon Rothstein agrees. In his daily top 45 rankings, he shot the Vols all the way up to a spot in the top 10. Tennessee sits at No. 10, the second-best mark in the SEC, only trailing top-ranked Florida.
The rest of the top-10 behind the Gators and ahead of the Vols are Illinois, Duke, Michigan, UConn, Arizona, Michigan State, Gonzaga and Virginia.
Rothstein puts Tennessee in this highly-touted group primarily because of its backcourt additions. Rothstein said UT has a ‘loaded perimeter with skill, shooting, and depth.’
I see a four-guard lineup at Tennessee with Hill, Ames, Haralson, Harris, and Lundblade rotating four spots.
That’s a loaded perimeter with skill, shooting, and depth.
The Vols should be a Top-10 team entering the 2026-27 season. https://t.co/3lF8Hz038E
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 4, 2026
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Harris’ backcourt partners through the portal are projected to be VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr., Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames, Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson and Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade. UT also brings in Loyola (Chicago) transfer Miles Rubin and Kennesaw State transfer Braeden Lue in the frontcourt.
Tennessee returns two players from last year’s roster, as well. This features rising sophomores forward DeWayne Brown II and guard Troy Henderson. Incoming freshmen include Chris Washington Jr., Ralph Scott, Manny Green and Marquis Clark.
Rothstein lists the Vols’ projected starting five as Hill, Ames, Harris, Haralson and Rubin. This is a smaller group, but one with plenty of offensive firepower. The goal for Rick Barnes was to get individually talented scorers in the hunt for UT’s first-ever Final Four.
