Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball improving year over year and continues to build momentum through traditional recruiting, transfer portal recruiting, and performance on the hardwood. Tennessee notably brought Dalton Knecht to Knoxville through the transfer portal last year, so Barnes and the Vols could be looking to find their next breakout star through the portal.
The Vols could look to target players with whom they have already established a relationship through traditional recruiting. This could give the Vols a leg up on other programs depending on how each recruit feels towards Barnes and the Vols.
Although Barnes has a great reputation throughout college basketball, that doesn't mean it translates to signing every top recruit. The Vols have done a great job bringing in better recruits on the recruiting trail since Barnes arrived in Knoxville, but they have missed some big names.
There are currently a handful of guards in the transfer portal that Barnes and the Vols recruited during the 2023 recruiting cycle. Here are five guards that we could see come to Rocky Top in round two of the recruiting process.