Tennessee basketball adds transfer commit from former Vanderbilt center
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Tennessee is the latest college basketball program to profit from the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model. On Monday, the Volunteers added a transfer commitment from former Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington after he was granted an injunction to play a fifth season Friday.
Washington will play for Tennessee basketball this season.
Washington’s commitment is a massive one for the Volunteers, who despite signing an excellent transfer class earlier this offseason was set to be quite thin in the frontcourt. The Vols’ best options to start at center before Washington’s commitment were Loyola Chicago transfer Miles Rubin and VCU Christian Fermin, as well as 6-foot-9 forward Brendan Lue out of Kennesaw State.
Rubin and Fermin are both solid defenders and will contend for the starting spot. Fermin is currently injured and missed the final two weeks of summer practice for the Vols deal with a fractured hand. Tennessee is not currently worried about Fermin’s long-term health for the season, per Tennessee’s Ben McKee.
Washington’s addition brings some much-needed size to the room. Rubin weighed in at 220 pounds at Loyola last season, and Fermin was only slightly bigger at 225. Washington, on the other hand, weighed 240 pounds while standing at 6-foot-10 — an important distinction against the best of the best in the SEC.
Washington started 9 games for Vanderbilt in 2026 and averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds with a strong 1.3 blocks per game and 6.8% block rate on KenPon. He hit 61.8% of his 165 attempts from 2 and 74% of his 116 free throw attempts, both good numbers for a starting center in a Rick Barnes offense.
This is comparable to Felix Okpara, who finished 61% from 2 while hitting 63% of his 74 free throw attempts last season at Tennessee. Okpara, of course, made a massive impact on the defensive end, so he’ll be tough to replace.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
