It hasn't taken long at all for new Tennessee Vols point guard Ja'kobi Gillespie to win over fans everywhere. Not long ago, Gillespie announced that he's 'coming home' to Tennessee to play for the Vols, picking UT over several other suitors.
Shortly after he made his decision, Gillespie revealed that he has wasted no time in trying to recruit 5-star power forward Nate Ament, the top unsigned prospect for the 2025 class. He's not the only one, though.
Gillespie is also working to help Tennessee bring in Maryland shooting guard Rodney Rice. With Chaz Lanier, the 2025 Jerry West Award winner, leaving Knoxville, the Vols need some serious help in terms of finding a standout shooter. Enter Rice?
Expect Tennessee to be involved with Maryland transfer Rodney Rice.
— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) April 7, 2025
Rice averaged 13.8 points last season playing alongside Vols transfer commit Ja'Kobi Gillespie. He shot 37.4% on 3-pointers with 80 made threes.https://t.co/pFbmA3anJC
Asked Ja'Kobi Gillespie if he was going to begin recruiting now that he's committed to Tennessee.
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) April 4, 2025
"I've already started. Nate Ament, and my boy Rodney Rice."https://t.co/GIGX3nAXmS
Tennessee basketball is expected to make a push to land Maryland's Rodney Rice
According to reporter Mike Wilson, the Vols are expected to make a push here to bring in Rice. We don't have to tell you that it would be a fantastic get for Barnes and Tennessee, as Rice would indeed be able to provide this team with a needed scoring threat.
Thus far in the transfer portal, Barnes and his coaches have been able to make a splash by landing both Gillespie and former Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey. Just like Gillespie, Carey has wasted no time in earning himself plenty of fans in Knoxville, as he fired back at angry people in Nashville over his decision to join Tennessee.
As for Gillespie, he's arriving in town following a stellar 2024-25 campaign. This past season for Maryland, the 6-1, 185-pounder averaged nearly 15 points per game, while adding 4.8 assists. Rice was also strong, pouring in 13.8 points per contest.
Those two were standouts for Maryland, but that's no longer going to be the case moving forward. There's still a chance that Rice could decide to stay put and not leave Maryland's campus, but plenty of teams are looking to get him to pack his bags for a new home. Tennessee and Gillespie are doing what they can for him to start donning orange sooner rather than later.