Tennessee basketball officially announced the signing of VCU center Christian Fermin on Monday afternoon. Fermin comes to Tennessee with one year of eligibility remaining after spending the previous four years at VCU.
Fermin officially visited Tennessee basketball last Wednesday before committing to the Vols shortly after leaving his visit on Thursday.
“We are happy to welcome Christian to the Tennessee basketball family,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a statement. “He is a special young man who is battle-tested on the court and is a proven winner. Christian possesses natural leadership skills and can light up any room with his energy and enthusiasm.
“He will really fit our culture as a person, in addition to bringing the size, length and defensive versatility we were searching for. Christian has shown the impact he can make as a shot blocker, but he also has a unique blend of skill and feel offensively. We are confident he will quickly adapt to our style of play at both ends of the floor.”
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound center spent the first four years of his collegiate career at VCU before entering the transfer portal. Fermin produced in both his sophomore and junior seasons before tacking a leave of absence for the vast majority of his senior season.
As a junior, Fermin averaged 4.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.4 minutes of action per game. The Pennsylvania native’s best statistical season came as a sophomore when he averaged 5.2 points, 4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. Fermin started all 38 games for the Rams that season.
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Fermin played in just four games last season for the Rams before stepping away from the program due to a personal matter. Tennessee worked out Fermin on his visit and was impressed by his cardio conditioning after not playing last season.
While Fermin is not a high-level offensive player, he is a strong rim protector— especially considering the lack of big men still available in the portal. He posted a 7.7% block rate as a junior and a 7.9% block rate as a sophomore. Those marks ranked 50th and 46th nationally, respectively.
Fermin joins a front line that includes rising sophomore DeWayne Brown, Loyola (Chicago) transfer Miles Rubin and Kennesaw State transfer Braedan Lue.
The Vols lost four big men from last season’s team with Felix Okpara out of eligibility while J.P. Estrella (Michigan), Jaylen Carey (Missouri) and Cade Phillips (Texas A&M) all entered the transfer portal following the season.
Fermin was the final piece for Tennessee’s 2026-27 roster. The official roster includes eight incoming transfers. VCU transfer combo guard Terrence Hill Jr, Cal combo guard Dai Dai Ames, Wake Forest guard Juke Harris, Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade, Notre Dame wing Jalen Haralson, Lue, Fermin and Rubin make up the group of incoming transfers.
