The final major date of the roster building part of the college basketball offseason passed last week with the deadline for college players to remove their name from the NBA Draft and return to school arriving. There was plenty of action, particularly in the SEC where star players like Alabama’s Amari Allen and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner announced that they were returning to their respective schools.
It was not a big day for Tennessee with Nate Ament already announcing his plans to remain in the NBA Draft and the Vols already having a full roster set for next season.
But with the major date in the rearview and most rosters set for next season, many media outlets have released their updated way-too-early top 25 rankings. Here’s where the Vols land in them.
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ESPN
- National rank: No. 6
- SEC rank: No. 2
- What they said: “Over the past six seasons, Tennessee has ranked in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency five times. The highest the Vols ranked in offensive efficiency at KenPom during that stretch? No. 17. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see those roles reversed next season. Rick Barnes has amassed an alarming amount of offensive talent from the portal, headlined by Juke Harris (Wake Forest), Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU), Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame), Tyler Lundblade (Belmont) and Dai Dai Ames (California). If he can instill some level of defensive intensity in this group, the ceiling is incredibly high.”
The Athletic
- National rank: No. 15
- SEC rank: No. 4
- What they said: “Barnes definitely has a talented roster, but can he make it work with this many high-usage scorers? Will they give the defensive effort that has made his teams consistently win? Did he sacrifice some interior toughness and rebounding by investing so much in the perimeter and not working harder to retain JP Estrella, Cade Phillips and Jaylen Carey? Will he miss the culture carryover that retention in his program has helped create? The Vols were definitely a winner in portal season in terms of talent accumulation, but I’m very interested to see how this group jives on the floor.”
CBS Sports
- National rank: No. 16
- SEC rank: No. 4
- What they said: “This ranking is based on the Vols returning two of the top 10 scorers — specifically Dewayne Brown II and Ethan Burg* — from a team that finished 25-12 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson, Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames, Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade, VCU transfers Terrence Hill Jr. and Christian Fermin, Loyola Chicago transfer Miles Rubin, Kennesaw State transfer Braedan Lue, four-star prospects Christopher Washington Jr., Ralph Scott and Manny Green, and three-star prospect Marquis Clark.”
*Burg is not back and has signed professionally in Israel
On3
- National rank: No. 15
- SEC rank: No. 4
- What they said: N/A
Jon Rothstein
- National rank: No. 11
- SEC rank: No. 2
- What they said: N/A
Andy Katz
- National rank: No. 5
- SEC rank: No. 2
- What they said: N/A
