Tennessee’s season is still a little ways off, but the conversation around this team is already rolling. The Volunteers open against Wofford on Nov. 3, yet fans will get an early look at Rick Barnes’ revamped roster before that, with an exhibition against Xavier on Oct. 15 in Knoxville and another trip to Duke on Oct. 20.
That buzz is easy to understand. Tennessee brought in nine new players through the transfer portal this offseason, and the group comes with plenty of different flavors.
There are scoring threats like Juke Harris and Terrence Hill, plus Jalen Washington, a former rival now wearing orange. It’s a roster with a lot of new faces and, at least on paper, a lot of answers.
On Thursday, Vince Wolfram of the “That’s A W” show sat down with RTI’s Ryan Schumpert for a Tennessee Basketball preview and put him through a rapid-fire set of superlative questions. Schumpert’s answers gave a pretty clear picture of how he sees this team taking shape.
For the go-to shot-taker, Schumpert went with Dai Dai Ames, saying, “I’ll say Dai Dai Ames because he’s done it. He’s proved it. He’s made some big shots late in games before.”
When asked about the best defender, he pointed to Jalen Haralson.
In a guard-only 1-on-1 setup, Schumpert leaned toward Juke Harris. “I think it’s Juke Harris with his size,” he said.
The highest NBA ceiling question took a little more thought. Schumpert initially considered Juke, then changed course and settled on freshman Ralph Scott.
“That’s a good question. I’ll go with Juke - No, no, I’m going to scratch that.
I’ll say (freshman) Ralph Scott. We won’t see a ton of it this year, but I think Ralph Scott may have the highest NBA ceiling of anyone on this roster… His size and the way he moves, and the way he can shoot over defenders, he’s going to skyrocket over the next two, three years.
He gives off similar vibes, in terms of his game, that Cam Carr gave off as a freshman at Tennessee.”
Schumpert also had thoughts on who could become the fan favorite. He named Jalen Washington as a real possibility, especially if he makes a strong impression once SEC play begins.
“I think Jalen Washington has an ability to do it. You open up SEC play against Vanderbilt.
He goes up and shows some fire and plays well in a game like that? I think he has a strong chance to do it.
And Tyler Lundblade, too. He’s got such a good story.
Fans love dunks and three-pointers - I don’t know how many dunks we’re going to see from Tyler Lundblade, but we’re going to see him hit some three-pointers.”
Around the league, Tennessee is being viewed as a team worth watching after its portal-heavy rebuild. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has the Vols at No. 6 in his early power rankings.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein puts them at No. 10 in his way-too-early list, while CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has them at No. 15.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi was even more bullish, slotting Tennessee as a 5-seed in early Bracketology projections this summer.
The roster turnover was significant. Tennessee lost six players through the portal this offseason, including starters J.P.
Estrella, Bishop Boswell, and Jaylen Carey. Barnes said earlier in the year that Tennessee went with portal production over retention when building this group, and the numbers back that up: nine portal additions, with six of them ranked in 247Sports’ Top 100 transfer rankings.
The new-look Vols are coming fast, and the first real clues about what this team can be are almost here.
In Other News...
Tennessee Camp Is Already Revealing Early Depth Chart Pressure
Tennessees third fall camp practice brought more of the usual late-summer sorting, with limited media access and a few familiar names either sidelined or working in a restricted capacity. Ethan Davis and Ty Redmond were among the players absent or held out of contact for precautionary reasons or illness, which only adds to the early pressure on a roster where every rep matters and the first weeks of camp can start shaping the conversation around the depth chart.
The encouraging part for the Volunteers was the look of some of the freshmen, who continued to draw attention for what they bring physically and how quickly they are adjusting. Joel Wyatt and Luca Wolf both showed promising traits and signs of progress, the kind of early-camp development that can help a staff feel better about the back end of the roster even before the competition really tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Marshall Manning's First Football Debut Will Hit Home For Vols Fans
The Manning name is about to pop up on a Tennessee-area football field again, and this time it belongs to Marshall Manning, the freshman quarterback at Baylor School. Peyton Mannings son made his varsity debut in a preseason scrimmage against Buford, entering in the second quarter as he begins what is expected to be a backup role this season.
For Vols fans, it is the kind of small but notable moment that will always carry extra weight around Knoxville, where Peyton Manning remains a defining figure in program history. Baylor School came out on the short end of a 20-13 result, but the bigger storyline was simply seeing a new Manning take his first varsity snaps in a setting that felt a little bigger than a typical preseason tune-up. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A Key Linebacker And The Staff Is Fuming
Tennessee got a frustrating answer from the NCAA this week, with linebacker Arion Carter sidelined after an issue tied to a $427 flight he took during the pre-draft process. Carter repaid the money after deciding to return to college, but the decision still resulted in a suspension that has drawn clear disappointment from the Vols staff, including head coach Josh Heupel and linebackers coach William Inge.
The timing makes it sting even more for a defense that wanted Carter available right away, and now Tennessee will have to open without one of its key linebackers. The suspension keeps him out of the first two games, including matchups against Furman and Georgia Tech, leaving the Vols to shuffle their plans while they wait for one of their more important defenders to return. [Read more 🡒]