Given that Rick Barnes is in charge of the program, it is not surprising that the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team is doing well in the transfer portal. Barnes now has more financial flexibility than ever because to Tennessee’s substantial boost in NIL monies for men’s basketball, which makes this portal cycle feel different.
“Next season, Tennessee basketball is expected to rank among the top teams in terms of NIL spending. The Vols are among the few teams expected to spend $10 million or more in NIL for their squad next season, according to On3’s Pete Nakos on Thursday, according to Grant Ramey of VolQuest.
The highly sought-after Jalen Haralson of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball team is one of the top players on the portal that the Vols are pursuing.
AÂ transfer from Notre Dame, has narrowed his list down to the following programs. North Carolina, Ohio State, Tennessee. averaged 4.0 RPG and 16.2 PPG the previous season, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Next season, Haralson will be a sophomore, so if he doesn’t declare for the NBA, he has a lot of eligibility left. As he starts his stay on Rocky Top, Barnes is working to get the former McDonald’s All-American to Knoxville.
He scheduled to come on campus later today. The 220-pound, six-foot-seven wing scored 16.2 points on 51.5% of his field goals. According to Vols writer William Patteson, Haralson was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, a member of Team USA U17, and a McDonald’s All-American.
Dai Dai Ames, Miles Rubin, and Tyler Lundblade have all been acquired by Barnes on his first three visits. It would be a huge victory if Tennessee could get Haralson to commit before he leaves Knoxville, or at the very least prolong his visit.
Similar to its chase of Juke Harris, Tennessee is making every effort to acquire the Notre Dame transfer. Barnes is stating unequivocally that the program wants to compete for the best talent on the site and go after the biggest names.
