Ja’Kobi Gillespie, former Maryland PG, commits to Tennessee

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who previously played under Kevin Willard at Maryland, announced on Friday that he will spend his final year of collegiate eligibility at Tennessee. Gillespie, who hails from Greeneville, Tennessee, about an hour east of Knoxville, chose the Vols over Villanova.

Gillespie’s commitment is a massive win for the Volunteers after missing out on Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely to Louisville earlier this week. Especially so with Zakai Zeigler, one of the best point guards in the country, now out the door after exhausting his 4 years of eligibility.

Let’s get into the details. Gillespie will take over Tennessee’s starting point guard slot in 2025-26, the first transfer addition for a backcourt that loses effectively all of its production from this past season. With Gillespie’s pledge on Friday, keep a close eye on the Vols to make a move with former Terps teammate Rodney Rice – a shooting guard who entered the portal shortly after Gillespie.

Gillespie, who stands at 6-1, 186 pounds, averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, leading the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen in the process. The All-Big Ten guard also an elite defender, smart with the ball and a 40% 3-point shooter who can also put ample pressure on the rim.

This is a great start to transfer portal season for Tennessee, but there’s a lot of work to be done to replace the outgoing production. A few names to keep an eye on are Vanderbilt’s Jaylen Carey, UNC Greensboro’s Donovan Atwell and D2 Lincoln Memorial’s Elyjah Freeman.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.