Jaylen Carey hints at return to Tennessee ‘if they want me back’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers overperformed their seed line in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Advancing to the second weekend was a win in and of itself for the Vols, but Tennessee made it that much better by beating Iowa State to secure a third straight Elite 8 appearance — the fourth overall in program history. Notably, Tennessee wouldn’t have won that game without Vanderbilt transfer Jaylen Carey’s 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
It’s definitely been an up and down year for Carey, who is an absolute bowling ball in the paint for the Volunteers. However, Carey himself admitted Sunday, following Tennessee’s loss to 1-seed Michigan, that there are areas he’d like to improve heading into next year.
While speaking to Vols writer Ryan Schumpert of RockyTopInsider, Carey revealed that he’d love to be back with Tennessee in 2027 if the Volunteers coaching staff shares the same sentiment. Here’s what he had to say, specifically:
“If they want me back, I definitely do want to be here. I love it here. I definitely do want to change my body around. I want to get into the best shape and be more effective for them. That was a goal for me coming into the season this year and I let that part down. My main focus when I come back is I won’t let that happen again. That’s just the main focus.”
Tennessee will have a few spots to fill on the roster in the coming months. Seniors Felix Okpara and Ja’Kobi Gillespie are both out of eligibility, and high-potential freshman Nate Ament appears very likely to enter the 2026 NBA Draft.
There’s a bit of a logjam on the Vols roster as far as the 4-spot is concerned, though. Carey and DeWayne Brown are both primary 4s, and injured Cade Phillips (assuming he returns for Tennessee) played a majority of his minutes at the 4 as well.
The offseason is never boring in college basketball, and Tennessee’s is likely to be quite active.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
