T.O. Barrett, left, of the Missouri Tigers drives the ball against Tre Donaldson of the Miami Hurricanes during a first round game in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026, in St. Louis.
T.O. Barrett, left, of the Missouri Tigers drives the ball against Tre Donaldson of the Miami Hurricanes during a first round game in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026, in St. Louis.
The NCAA’s basketball portal window has been closed for over three weeks now, and almost all the top available transfers have chosen new destinations.
Only four of ESPN’s top 100 players, for example, are left on the board, and three have declared for the NBA draft while leaving their names in the portal.
So where does all the personnel shuffling leave the state’s two SEC schools, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, looking ahead to the 2026-27 season?
Both appear to be on nearly even terms in the eyes of most analysts, assuming Vandy guard Tyler Tanner returns to school for his junior season and steers clear of the NBA.
On3’s early 2026-27 Top 25 rankings list Tennessee at 15 and Vanderbilt at 16; ESPN has Tennessee 11th and Vanderbilt 13th; CBS Sports ranks Tennessee 15th and Vandy 24th; FOX Sports lists Tennessee 17th and Vanderbilt 20th; and The College Basketball report ranks Tennessee 22nd and Vandy 23rd.
That the two programs are close to one another in the several way-too-early Top 25 rankings might surprise some, given all the attention paid to Tennessee’s outstanding portal haul.
The Vols’ seven-player class has been ranked first in the nation by USA Today, second by 247Sports, third by Yahoo Sports and fourth by On3.
But it’s worth noting the Vols also lost seven players to the portal, and that group includes some impressive talents.
While UT gained one five-star transfer (guard Juke Harris from Wake Forest) and six four-star players, per On3, the Vols also said good-bye to five four-star transfers.
Vanderbilt gained five players and lost seven, but the level of incoming talent appears to far outweigh those departing via the portal — even though the latter group technically includes forward Tyler Nickel, who placed his name in the portal hoping for a fifth season.
In the On3 rankings, Vandy secured five four-star talents and lost one, while losing one three star. The rest of the ‘Dores’ departures were unranked.
On3 uses a different ranking system, the team transfer portal index, to measure a team’s production during the transfer process — compared relative to its own roster, and not against any other schools.
The site’s algorithm determines if a school has improved its overall team talent, stayed the same, or declined in talent during the transfer window.
In those rankings, Vanderbilt is No. 5 in the nation, Tennessee No. 22.
Here’s the full recap of what’s gone on so far in the portal at both Tennessee and Vanderbilt:
Tennessee
Incoming: G Juke Harris (21.4 pts., 6.5 rebs., 1.9 assists in 2025-26); G Terrence Hill (15.0 pts., 2.7 rebs., 2.8 assists); G Jalen Haralson (16.2 pts., 4.0 rebs., 2.6 assists); F Miles Rubin (11.3 pts., 7.1 rebs., 2.3 blocks); G Dai Dai Ames (16.9 pts., 2.0 rebs., 2.2 assists); G Tyler Lundblade (15.6 pts., 2.7 rebs., 1.8 assists); and F Braeden Lue (10.9 pts., 5.3 rebs., 1.4 blocks).
Outgoing: F Jaylen Carey (7.4 pts., 6.0 rebs.); G Bishop Boswell (6.2 pts., 4.4 rebs., 3.1 assists); F J.P. Estrella (10.0 pts., 5.4 rebs.); G Amari Evans (4.1 pts., 3.2 rebs.); F Cade Phillips (3.8 pts., 4.0 rebs.); F Amaree Abram (3.2 pts., 1.4 rebs.); G Clarence Massamba (0.3 pts.)
Vanderbilt
Incoming: G T.O. Barrett (8.6 pts., 2.7 rebs., 3.0 assists); F Sebastian Williams-Adams (7.0 pts., 3.5 rebs., 1.5 assists); F Bangot Dak (11.5 pts., 6.5 rebs., 1.6 blocks); G Ace Glass III (16.4 pts., 3.0 rebs., 2.3 assists); F Berke Buktuncel (6.5 pts., 5.6 rebs., 1.9 assists)
Outgoing: F Tyler Nickel (13.5 pts., 3.3 rebs., 1.2 assists); F Tyler Harris (5.5 pts., 2.3 rebs.); G Frankie Collins (7.8 pts., 4.2 rebs., 4.7 assists); G Mike James (1.5 pts., 2.0 rebs.); G George Kimble III (DNP); G Jaylen Dean-Vines (0.9 pts.); C Mason Nicholson (0.4 pts., 1.0 reb.)
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