Tennessee Volunteers emerging as serious threat to land top shooter in CBB transfer portal
The Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Rick Barnes are focused on trying to come out of Sunday with a win over the Houston Cougars to advance to the Final Four. Regardless of what happens on the court, Tennessee is also now battling for a top transfer portal target who could help the team significantly next season.
The college basketball transfer portal has become an integral part of the program’s success. This season, transfer acquisitions Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr. and Felix Okpara have been crucial to the Volunteers being one of the best teams in the nation. Unfortunately for Barnes, the timing of the transfer portal this year aligns right as he is trying to get this team past the Elite Eight.
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While the Houston matchups is the Volunteers’ primary focus, they are also working the transfer portal. A few top options have come off the board, but the Vols are now emerging as a serious threat for one of the top shooters on the market.
On the 247 Sports’ College Basketball Show, analyst Travis Branham said Tennessee overtook the North Carolina Tar Heels in the battle for Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely.
“It was a battle between North Carolina and Louisville and the Cardinals were starting to run away with it. They were expected to land him potentially as soon as this weekend, but a new school has emerged — Tennessee. They are going to be getting him on a visit this Monday. This recruitment has become a toss-up. Louisville was on the brink of landing this one but it’s now a toss-up with Tennessee, with North Carolina sliding into a distant third.”
Travis Branham on the battle for Isaac McKneely, Tennessee Volutneers’ emergence
McKneely will meet with the Volunteers on Tuesday and a decision is expected shortly after that visit. With a return to Virginia seen as doubtful, it’s now more of a two-program battle for the guard. However, one favorite might be emerging.
Joe Tipton of On3.com reported Sunday that while North Carolina is falling out of the nice, Tennessee’s odds have increased significantly. As of now, TIpton likes the Volunteers to come out on top for McKneely, but Louisville remains in the thick of things.
Tennessee’s pitch to McKneely can point not only to its Elite Eight run but also the success it is having with transfer players. Lanier transferred from North Florida this past offseason and finished as one of the best basketball players in the SEC this year.
SEC teams are also expected to receive between $2 to $4 million allocated towards each basketball program next season as part of revenue sharing from the House vs NCAA settlement. Tennessee also can offer a better chance to make an NCAA Tournament run, with Elite Eight trips in consecutive years, whereas Louisville has only made the tournament once since 2019.
McKneely, who will be 22 in November, was an outstanding shooter from the perimeter this past season. He set a career-high in three-pointers made per game (3.2), all while still averaging over 42.1 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-4 guard is also a career 81 percent free-throw shooter.
In his final season at Virginia, McKneely had a season-high 7 three-pointers made on March 12 and he made at least 4 three-pointers in 15 games. He would be a significant addition to a Tennessee program that puts a lot of emphasis on the transfer portal, as evidenced by its finishing 39th in 247 Sports‘ team recruiting rankings for the 2025 high school class.
