Tennessee basketball: Ranking all nine returning players for 2022-23

Despite losing another first-round NBA Draft pick and seeing multiple other rotational players transfer, Tennessee basketball returns a lot of talent for the 2022-23 season. Recruiting is a huge part of the expectations behind the Vols, but two main starters and three of the six major rotational players back also helps.

When you have key players back from the program’s first SEC Tournament championship in over 40 years, you’re going to see lots of reason for excitement. Rick Barnes’ 2021 recruiting class also has multiple players ready to take a huge step forward because of those departures too.

Add in a third starter returning from injury, and Tennessee basketball could have been an NCAA Tournament team without adding new talent. Our breakdown of the players coming back will take into account what they bring to the table and what we should expect from them now. Here is a ranking of all nine returning Vols.

This is the value each Tennessee basketball Volunteers player returning from last year brings to Rick Barnes’ program.

6’5″ 186 pounds

A walk-on who joined the Vols out of Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana in 2020, Isaiah Sulack was on the scout team his first year and didn’t see any action. Last year, he appeared in three games, against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, the Presbyterian Blue Hose and the UNC Greensboro Spartans.

However, he saw a grand total of five minutes over those three games, and his only field goal attempt was against the ETSU Bucs. Then he got hurt in practice in January and misses the rest of the season, so he had the smallest impact of anybody returning on the roster.

As a result, Sulack clearly belongs at the bottom of this list. Still, coming back fully healthy, he’s got a chance to make a statement for Tennessee basketball. Walk-ons can sometimes find themselves contributing if teams are in foul trouble, and Sulack is one of two returning walk-ons who could compete for such action.