A new name of note has emerged for Tennessee basketball in the transfer portal. 247sports Travis Branham reported that Maryland transfer point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie plans on entering the transfer portal on Monday just a few days after Terrapins head coach Kevin Willard left for Villanova.
Gillespie is an East Tennessee native and the Vols are interested in the Third Team All-Big 10 selection according to a source.
The 6-foot-1, 186-pound point guard spent just one season at Maryland and he proved he could play at the highest level of college basketball. Gillespie averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his junior season at Maryland.
Shooting is a strength of Gillespie’s game. The point guard made 87 three-pointers at an efficient 41% clip in his junior season at Maryland. While he can shoot at an elite level from deep, Gillespie is also a true point guard. His 27.3% assist rate ranked 123rd nationally and he ranked fifth in the Big 10 in assists per game.
According to analytical based college basketball website EvanMiya.com, Gillespie isn’t just one of the best players in the transfer portal but was one of the best players in the entire country last season. Gillespie had a 6.95 Baynesian Performance Rating which was the 21st best in the country. His 5.03 offensive baynesian rating ranked 16th nationally.
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Gillespie and Tennessee is a pairing that makes a lot of sense for both sides. The highly touted point guard is a Greeneville, Tennessee native and grew up just 70 miles from Knoxville. The Vols are in the point guard market this offseason with Tennessee losing three-year starting point guard Zakai Zeigler to graduation.
The East Tennessee native played his first two collegiate seasons in the mid-state at Belmont. Gillespie had a big sophomore season for the Bruins, averaging 17.2 points per game on 39% shooting from three-point range to go along with 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Tennessee enters the offseason with six scholarships to work with. The Vols had three scholarships open this season, lose six seniors to graduation and have three incoming freshman. Rick Barnes and his staff will be active in the transfer portal this offseason as they put together a roster for the 2025-26 season.
The Vols are hosting Virginia shooting guard transfer Isaac McKneely on a visit starting Monday night and going into Tuesday. McKneely is one of the best players in the transfer portal after averaging 14.4 points on 42% shooting from three-point range last season at Virginia. He visited Louisville this weekend before his visit to Tennessee.
