Jalen Washington Receives Terrible News Ahead of First Season With Tennessee Basketball – Sports Illustrated

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The Tennessee Volunteers basketball squad has received some very unfortunate news when it comes to their newest addition through the transfer portal. That is Jalen Washington, a center who joined the roster following his Vanderbilt season a year ago, can no longer play this season.
Here is a full breakdown.
"The National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") has filed an Application for Extraordinary Appeal from an Order Granting Temporary Injunctive Relief entered by the Chancery Court for Davidson County on July 31, 2026. Having reviewed both the application and the answer, the Court concludes that this is an appropriate case for an extraordinary appeal under Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 10. The NCAA has also filed an Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal. The trial court denied the NCAA's motion for a stay of the temporary injunction pending appeal on August 19, 2026. After considering all the relevant factors and, in particular, the NCAA's likelihood of success on the merits based on the legal issues presented, we conclude that the trial court's August 19, 2026 order denying a stay pending appeal constitutes an abuse of discretion. It is, therefore, ordered that the application for an extraordinary appeal is granted. The clerk of the trial court shall prepare and transmit the record within thirty (30) days following the entry of this order. The briefing schedule provided by Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 29(a) shall commence on the date the record is filed. The parties may request oral argument in accordance with Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 35. It is further ordered that the trial court's July 31, 2026 Order Granting Temporary Injunctive Relief is stayed pending resolution of this appeal."
To make a long story short, the Tennessee Volunteers will no longer have Washington for the upcoming season, unless something magically changes, which is unlikely. The Vols were originally looking to add a big man and were hopeful that Washington could be their guy down low following his transfer portal entry, but that isn't set to be the case.
The Vols will be missing a good player, as the center averaged 8.9 PTS and 5.6 REB while only being a starter in nine games. It was unlikely that he would have been a starter for the Vols; however, he was likely going to become a rotational center for the Vols.
This news is big time for Tennessee basketball, which will reshape the lineup as a whole, but it isn't something the Vols probably planned for.
Moving forward, the Vols will look towards the opportunity of winning the first Elite Eight contest in program history, along with what they hope is going to be their first National Championship victory.
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Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.
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