Tennessee is all in for Rick Barnes, that much is clear. Rumors and outright statements quickly began circulating after the season ended that the Volunteers would be among the major players in transfer portal spending. They did not disappoint.
Barnes had his first commitment from Belmont grad-transfer sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade immediately. He quickly watched nearly his entire roster hit the portal, almost as if it were by design. One by one — Dai Dai Ames, Miles Rubin, Jalen Haralson, Terrence
Hill Jr., Braedan Lue and Juke Harris — followed to give Barnes easily his most offensively gifted roster during his time in Knoxville.
Harris was the big fish, ranked inside of the top three players in the transfer portal by most all major outlets. The 6-7 guard chose Knoxville over the NBA, Michigan and North Carolina, giving Barnes his latest elite transfer portal scorer. Harris is the best bet to follow in the footsteps of Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier and Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
What did it cost to get him? According to On3’s Pete Nakos, around $4 million. That’s about the same thing Tennessee paid to land Nate Ament last season.
In total, Tennessee has spent $18 million and that number could go past $20 million, per Nakos.
“The Volunteers put an exclamation point on their portal class earlier this week, landing On3’s No. 1 overall transfer Juke Harris. The Wake Forest guard withdrew from the NBA draft process to return to school, and sources told On3 he is expected to make upward of $4 million next season at Tennessee.
“The all-in price for one of the biggest portal classes this cycle is over $18 million, sources told On3. Tennessee could eventually cross the $20 million threshold, depending on the final pieces the program adds.” — Pete Nakos, On3
Pending any unexpected movement, Tennessee has just one spot left to fill. That’s expected to go to a big man to round out the depth, with 7-1 prep center Favour Ibe coming off of an official visit over the weekend.
Louisville, who has the top-ranked transfer portal class to this point, has spent a similar amount to Tennessee. The two schools currently rank 1-2 in transfer portal class rankings, according to 247Sports.
A few others like Duke and Texas could also push towards $20 million, according to the report.
So, Tennessee is all in. The Volunteers have never once made a Final Four and you’ve got to think that’s on Rick Barnes’ checklist before he steps away. Perhaps that’s the plan here, or even next year, or even until he does it. Despite all the talk, Barnes has shown zero signs of slowing down. He’ll embrace a different style this year, armed with more scoring power than he’s ever had in Knoxville.
It’s never a slam dunk with so many new faces coming together as one, but you’ve got to think Barnes is the perfect man for the task. Is it November yet?
