For a while now, the speculation has continued to grow that maybe, just maybe Tennessee Vols basketball fan favorite Jordan Gainey will play for UT next season. He's currently out of eligibility, but should the NCAA grant players an extra campaign, the door would open for Gainey to return.
Several times this offseason, the veteran guard has hinted that he'd be all for continuing his career in Knoxville. He doubled down on things in a recent video with Tennessee forward Cade Phillips. While the two were speaking, Phillips straight up asked Gainey about the rumors about him running things back. Gainey didn't mince words with his answer:
Jordan Gainey is hoping to return to Tennessee basketball next season
"I've been here for two years, wish I could have been here for four," Gainey said with conviction. "Hopefully (I'll) have an opportunity to come back for a third. Who wouldn't want to be with us? I'd love to be back and be a Tennessee Vol one more time."
Gainey spent the first two years of his college career with South Carolina Upstate, but then he joined the Vols ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. For the past two years, he's been a reliable player off the bench for Rick Barnes, scoring 6.8 points per game in Year 1 and 11.6 per night last campaign.
There were some big moments during the postseason for Gainey too, who had no problem at all stepping in and taking the spotlight whenever his number was called. He always did what the staff asked of him and he quickly earned the trust of his teammates.
Moving forward, everyone is going to be waiting on the NCAA to (finally) make some sort of a decision. As things stand, Gainey's future is a bit up in the air. Things could go either way, but if he indeed does have the option to suit up for Tennessee again next season, it's an opportunity he's going to jump at.