Big things are happening in Knoxville as Rick Barnes continues to assemble one of the top transfer portal classes in the nation. Tennessee Basketball had already put together a nice six-man class heading into Monday, but Juke Harris’ new commitment has added another elite element into the mix. The former Wake Forest forward was one of the most sought-after prospects in the portal this offseason and Tennessee won the recruiting battle for his services heading into the weekend.
Harris, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward who averaged 21.4 PPG last season, is ranked as the No. 8 overall portal prospect in the class and the No. 2 SF in the class, according to 247Sports’ rankings. ESPN has Harris as high as the sixth-best prospect in the portal.
Tennessee entered the day with the No. 4 overall class by 247Sports, and was just a tick behind Indiana in the rankings. With Harris’ commitment, though, the Volunteers have officially passed the Hoosiers and the Texas Longhorns in the rankings to climb up to No. 2 in the nation. Tennessee now sits behind only Louisville in the transfer portal team rankings.
Harris is the seventh transfer portal addition that Tennessee has snagged this offseason, and the highest-ranked player in the group. He joins VCU PG Terrence Hill Jr., Cal PG Dai Dai Ames, Notre Dame CG Jalen Haralson, Belmont SG Tyler Lundblade, Loyola-Chicago PF Miles Rubin, and Kennesaw State SF Braedan Lue.
With the addition of Harris, Tennessee now has six players in 247Sports’ Top 100 rankings and three in the Top 25: Harris (No. 8), Hill (No. 19), Haralson (No. 25), Ames (No. 53), Lundblade (No. 59), and Rubin (No. 95).
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Tennessee opted for production over retention in the transfer portal this year, and the Vols have succeeded in that mission. Rick Barnes and his staff have added some serious offensive firepower to the new-look roster with multiple scoring threats heading to Rocky Top. The Vols retained two players from last year’s Elite Eight roster with forward DeWayne Brown and point guard Troy Henderson.
Tennessee’s Athletics Administration and AD Danny White fully support Rick Barnes and the Vols’ quest to hit the final level of the NCAA Tournament in the near future. He spoke about it during a Big Orange Caravan interview, courtesy of Newschannel 5’s Steve Layman.
“We all want it. He wants it,” White said. “He’s so competitive. I’ve been working with Rick, this was my fifth season. I had half of a season when I first got here in January of ’21, so I guess maybe this is my sixth season. The way he commands his team and talks about winning a national championship in November and December and January. He wants to win the whole thing and we’re going to support him anyway we can.
“He’s just built an unbelievable program for us. Best basketball coach we’ve ever had. Three Elite Eights is so hard to do. Four straight Sweet 16s is so hard to do. I’m excited about what he’s putting together for next year, that’s for sure.”
For more on the impact that elite transfer portal commit Juke Harris will have on the Vols’ roster, click here.
