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Tennessee basketball: Ranking all 15 offseason roster changes by impact in 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 23, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes speaks with Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) and forward John Fulkerson (10) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes speaks with Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) and forward John Fulkerson (10) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 8, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Colorado Buffaloes at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Colorado Buffaloes at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been a crazy offseason for Tennessee basketball. Before they finished their last game, all we knew for sure about the Vols was that they had two recruits coming in, five-star guard Kennedy Chandler and four-star wing Jahmai Mashack.

Since then, though, they got hit with four players entering the transfer portal, one transfer arriving, two assistant coaches being replaced, three players entering the NBA Draft, three new recruits committing and two players announcing their return. Simply put, Rick Barnes has dramatically overhauled his team.

Remarkably, all of this happened in a month. Which of these offseason personnel stories will have the biggest impact on Tennessee basketball in the 2021-2022 season? Let’s go ahead and break that down here. This is our ranking of all 15 offseason storylines based on how much they will affect the Vols’ roster and staff.

15. Quentin Diboundje Eyobo commits

In the middle of April, the Vols’ recruiting class just included four-star wing Jahmai Mashack and five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler. Quintin Diboundje Eyobo became their first new commitment in the offseason on April 13. Coming out of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., Eyobo continues the pipeline Barnes has into the foreign markets.

A 6’6″ sharpshooter who weighs in the range of 180 to 185 pounds, Eyobo came to Florida by way of Montpelier, France, where he is originally from, so he also joins the French pipeline that Barnes has built. Given his frame and talent, he’s a solid addition. One day, provided he stays with the program, he’ll be developed well by Barnes into an elite player.

However, Eyobo’s commitment was the least important news for Tennessee basketball relative to the 2021-2022 season. He’ll likely be a solid player in the future, but he’s another development project. As a result, given the make-up of the roster, he was never going to see significant action next season anyway, and as a three-star, his commitment is down here.

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