Tennessee basketball listed among favorites for standout Notre Dame transfer, per report
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Tennessee basketball has already lost a lot this offseason, which means head coach Rick Barnes and the Vols coaching staff will have to build through the transfer portal.
The Vols already landed one transfer: Belmont sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade. But with Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Jaylen Carey, JP Estrella, Bishop Boswell and Amari Evans now heading out, they’ll need considerably more consistent scoring to break down the door of a Final Four.
Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson could help answer that call. According to Jon Rothstein and multiple other reporters, Haralson has cut his list to Tennessee, Ohio State and North Carolina.
This would be a simply massive addition for Tennessee basketball, but as you can see, there’s some pretty stiff competition for his services.
Haralson — who stands at 6-foot-7 — is a former McDonalds All-American and will have 3 seasons of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. The freshman averaged 16.2 points per game and showed up against top-level competition, dropping 14 points against Houston, 13 points against Kansas and 20 points against Virginia. By all accounts, he’s one of the 15 best players in the transfer portal right now.
Haralson hails from La Porte, Indiana and was heavily involved with Michigan State during his recruitment. But while the Big Ten and the chance to play at North Carolina are alluring, Tennessee has had fantastic success with portal players in recent years. Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier and Ja’Kobi Gillespie played at All-SEC levels when they donned the Orange & White, so Barnes’ recruiting pitch has to be pretty tempting for players who can score like Haralson.
Stay tuned.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
