
A Tennessee basketball transfer portal target has committed elsewhere.
Former Lincoln Memorial small forward Elyjah Freeman committed to Auburn over Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday.
Tennessee has Felix Okpara, J.P Estrella, Cade Phillips and Bishop Boswell returning for its 2024-25 basketball roster.
The Vols’ 2025 signing class consists of forward DeWayne Brown, small forward Amari Evans and point guard Troy Henderson.
Additions of former Maryland guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and former Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey from the transfer portal leaves Tennessee with six available scholarships for the 2025-26 season.
The Vols are in pursuit of 2025 power forward Nate Ament, potentially leaving Tennessee with five available scholarships.
Tennessee is also pursuing sophomore Maryland guard Rodney Rice. He entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 31.
Rodney Rice
Rice played with Gillespie on Maryland’s “Crab Five” team that made the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 13.8 points per game, while shooting 37.4 percent for three-point attempts for the Terrapins.
Villanova is Tennessee’s biggest competition for Rice as former Maryland head coach Kevin Willard was hired in March. Rice also visited USC after his Tennessee visit.
Class: Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 198 pounds
High school: DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)
Follow us at @VolsWire on X and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of University of Tennessee athletics.
#Tennessee #basketball #pursuit #Maryland #transfer #guard