Tennessee basketball is still pushing hard for elite guard help in the 2027 cycle, and Cayden Doughtry is now part of that picture.
The five-star point guard trimmed a list of more than 30 schools down to 14 on Wednesday afternoon, with Tennessee among the programs still alive, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. The group also includes Florida State, Iowa, Miami, UConn, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, Southern Cal, Kentucky, Louisville, Providence, Villanova and Vanderbilt.
Doughtry carries major national buzz. In 247sports’ rankings, he checks in as a five-star, the No. 3 player in the country, the No. 2 point guard and the No. 3 player in Florida in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Rivals is a little lower on him, but still lists him as a five-star and the No. 19 player nationally.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Fort Lauderdale native plays at Calvary Christian School, where he helped guide the Eagles to a 24-1 record during his junior season.
His recruitment is still early, but two official visits are already on the calendar. Doughtry plans to be at Florida State this weekend and Iowa in the second week of September.
Tennessee’s pursuit of point guards in 2027 has been broad and aggressive. The Vols are in the top group for five-star Nasir Anderson and five-star Reese Alston, hosted four-star Antonio Pemberton on an official visit this past weekend and have four-star Micah Gordon set to visit the first weekend in September.
By 247sports composite rankings, that means Tennessee is chasing the No. 2, No.
3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 8 point guards in the class.
The Vols also hope to keep VCU transfer point guard Terrence Hill Jr. beyond the 2026-27 season, while still building toward a backcourt with two strong options. Tennessee especially likes Anderson for his defense on the perimeter, which it views as one of the best in the 2027 cycle.
So far, Tennessee does not have a commitment in the 2027 class, but the official visit calendar is starting to fill up. Four-star center Chris Brown will visit on the Sept. 19 weekend, the same weekend Tennessee football hosts Kennesaw State. Five-star wing Malachi Jordan and three-star forward Davis Cochran are set to visit the weekend the Vols football team hosts Texas at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols have only two players on the roster for the upcoming season who are definitely out of eligibility, which guarantees at least two scholarships will be available. That number could rise, though, with possible NBA Draft entrants and more movement through the transfer portal.
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Vols Just Landed A Recruit Ohio State Fans Wanted Badly
Tennessees recruiting momentum got a major boost with the commitment of five-star running back David Gabriel-Georges, a prized 2027 prospect who had been one of the more closely watched names in a competitive race. The Baylor School standout, who plays in Chattanooga, already made a loud first impression this fall with three touchdowns and 261 yards of total offense in his senior debut, and his profile has only grown as the recruiting spotlight has intensified.
Gabriel-Georges arrives with plenty of national buzz, including a ranking from ESPN as the No. 2 running back in his class and praise from Texas quarterback Arch Manning. For Tennessee, landing him means fending off a serious push from Ohio State and keeping one of the top in-state talents close to home, a win that should resonate well beyond this recruiting cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Backfield Is Creating Buzz Heupel Rarely Gives
Josh Heupel does not usually hand out that kind of praise lightly, which is why his comments about Tennessees 2026 running back room stood out. The Vols are bringing back DeSean Bishop after a 1,000-yard season, and he now has a deeper supporting cast around him with sophomores Daune Morris and Justin Baker, plus Tulane transfer Javin Gordon joining the mix.
Heupel said the groups offseason growth has been evident, and their work in preseason camp has only added to the optimism. For a coach who tends to keep the focus on the next practice rather than the next big projection, the idea that this backfield could be the best he has had at Tennessee is a notable benchmark, especially with more of the season still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A New Frontcourt Piece Before The Season
Jalen Washington had looked like a useful frontcourt addition for Tennessee after transferring in from Vanderbilt, bringing a track record that suggested he could give the Volunteers some dependable minutes inside. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in his previous season, and the expectation around Knoxville was that he would settle in as a rotational piece for a team trying to deepen its frontcourt before the year began.
Instead, Washington is currently unable to play because of a legal dispute involving the NCAA and a temporary injunction, and the latest court ruling only tightened the uncertainty. A Tennessee court granted an extraordinary appeal and stayed the trial court order that had allowed him to suit up, leaving his status for the upcoming season in serious doubt and stripping the Volunteers of one of their newest interior options before he ever took the floor. [Read more 🡒]