Highly touted North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier signed with Tennessee basketball on Saturday a day after committing to the Vols over a top group that included BYU and Kentucky.
“We are happy to welcome Chaz and his family to Rocky Top. As soon as Chaz entered the transfer portal, we identified him as someone we would love to bring home to the Volunteer State,” Barnes said. “Our fan base will love his character, humility and work ethic, as well as his strong basketball IQ. He has already proven to be one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball and we feel his ability to put the ball in the basket from all over the floor will translate well to the SEC.
“Chaz has a desire to help us win another SEC championship, as well as contend for a national title. It is clear his goals and mindset blend well with the rest of the guys in our program and this is an excellent fit. Chaz’s excitement about the opportunity to return to a state he loves so much was evident to us and we know Vol Nation will embrace him from day one.”
A First Team All-ASUN selection a season ago, Lanier took visits to BYU, Kentucky and then Tennessee before announcing his commitment three days later. A rising super senior, Lanier is currently going through the NBA Draft process but is expected to remove his name from the draft and play at Tennessee next season.
A high level scorer, Lanier averaged 19.7 points to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in his senior season. Not only did Lanier nearly score 20 points per game, he was incredibly efficient doing so. The star shooting guard 51% from the field, 44% from three-point range (201 attempts) and 88% from the foul line during his senior season at North Florida.
According to Synergy, Lanier was the most efficient offensive player in the country last season totaling 1.20 points per possession used. He also ranked 26th nationally in effective field goal percentage and 13th nationally in true shooting.
Lanier is widely considered one of the top transfers this offseason. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard ranks as a four-star and the No. 11 transfer in the country according to the 247sports transfer rankings and a four-star and the No. 9 transfer in the country according to the On3 transfer rankings.
A Nashville native, Lanier played his high school basketball at the Ensworth School and has a good relationship with former Tennessee guards Josh and Jordan Bone.
The highly touted transfer is Tennessee’s fourth transfer commit of the cycle, joining Ohio State center Felix Okpara, Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar and Charlotte stretch forward Igor Milicic Jr. in the transfer portal to date. Lanier fills a major need on Tennessee’s roster as the Vols were looking for a talented guard who can create his own shot.
Tennessee now has two scholarships to work with as it fills out its 2024-25 roster but they’re full on rotational level players and likely will not add anyone else with the expectation of playing a major role next season.
