As it’s been building up over the last few months, there was no doubt that Tennessee was assembling a special group of players through the transfer portal this offseason. And now that the dust has settled, Tennessee’s class sits atop the rankings.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello named Tennessee’s eight-man group as the best transfer portal class in the nation on Tuesday. The Vols beat out No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Texas, and No. 4 Kentucky in the rankings.
The group includes Juke Harris, Dai Dai Ames, Jalen Haralson, Tyler Lundblade, Terrence Hill Jr., Miles Rubin, Braedan Lue, and Christian Fermin.
“Rick Barnes clearly emphasized offense in the portal,” Borzello writes. “Seven of the team’s eight incoming transfers averaged double figures at their previous schools — Harris, Ames, Haralson, Lundblade and Hill are each considered high-level offensive players. Harris was an elite scorer last season; Ames and Hill are playmakers with the ball in their hands; Lundblade is a terrific off-ball mover and shotmaker; and Haralson is highly productive inside the arc. There will be a learning curve for the Vols’ newcomers on the defensive end, but Rubin has been an excellent shot blocker and rim protector for three seasons.”
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With three star players declaring for the draft this offseason, there were certainly some nerves in the fanbase when Tennessee saw six players depart the program through the portal. But as head coach Rick Barnes put it in the offseason, the Vols pushed their chips in the pot and chose portal production over roster retention.
“We were looking for production over retention, and I think we’ve done that,” Barnes said. “But these guys are, they’ll build their own team. You got to do it every year anyway. It doesn’t matter if you got guys coming back, a bunch of guys, you still have to build a new team every year.”
On paper, Tennessee has done that and then some.
The Vols signed six Top 100 players from 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings, including Juke Harris (No. 8), Terrence Hill Jr. (No. 19), Jalen Haralson (No. 25), Dai Dai Ames (No. 53), Tyler Lundblade (No. 59), and Miles Rubin (No. 95). Five of Tennessee’s incoming portal players averaged 15.0 points or more per game last season at their previous schools.
Last week, Borzello listed Tennessee as the No. 6 team in the country in his way-too-early 2026-2027 power rankings.
“Over the past six seasons, Tennessee has ranked in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency five times,” Borzello writes. “The highest the Vols ranked in offensive efficiency at KenPom during that stretch? No. 17. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see those roles reversed next season. Rick Barnes has amassed an alarming amount of offensive talent from the portal, headlined by Juke Harris (Wake Forest), Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU), Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame), Tyler Lundblade (Belmont) and Dai Dai Ames (California). If he can instill some level of defensive intensity in this group, the ceiling is incredibly high.”
Here’s a look at the scoring numbers for all eight of Tennessee’s new additions at the previous school:
G Juke Harris – Wake Forest – 6’7″, 200 lbs
- 21.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.9 APG
- 44.4 FG%, 33.2 3FG%
G Terrence Hill Jr. – VCU – 6’3″, 180 lbs
- 15.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.8 APG
- 46.6 FG%, 37.0 3FG%
G Dai Dai Ames – Cal – 6’2″, 190 lbs
- 16.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.2 APG
- 46.4 FG%, 37.6 3FG%
G Tyler Lundblade – Belmont – 6’5″, 195 lbs
- 15.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.8 APG
- 43 FG%, 40.6 3FG%
F Jalen Haralson – Notre Dame – 6’7″, 220 lbs
- 16.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG
- 51.5 FG%
C Miles Rubin – Loyola Chicago – 6’10”, 220 lbs
- 11.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.3 APG
- 58.5 FG%
F Braedan Lue – Kennesaw State – 6’9″, 235 lbs
- 10.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.2 APG
- 45.2 FG%
F Christian Fermin – VCU – 6′ 10″, 225 lbs (13 minutes in 4 games played)
- 0.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.8 APG
- 0.0 FG%
