Tennessee's Rick Barnes targeting Kentucky hoops transfer sparks SEC transfer buzz

After missing out on Rodney Rice, Rick Barnes has wasted no time in targeting other playmakers to help out the Tennessee basketball team for next season and beyond. Barnes has landed plenty of tremendous talent this offseason and he's not close to finished.

The latest update via On3's Joe Tipton sure has a lot of people talking too. Earlier this week, former 4-star Kentucky signee Travis Perry surprised a lot of people by revealing he was leaving Lexington to enter the transfer portal. Per Tipton, several teams have reached out to show interest, with Barnes and the Vols being on the list:

Tennessee is reportedly making a move to land former Kentucky guard Travis Perry

The Vols aren't the only SEC team who have reached out, with Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina and LSU also being in the mix here. If you're confused about SEC teams being involved, keep in mind that transferring in football is different from hoops - players aren't blocked for signing with a different SEC basketball program.

Perry just wrapped up his freshman season with Kentucky, averaging 2.7 points in 31 appearances. He wasn't able to make an immediate impact, but he's one year removed from being one of the top guard prospects in the country.

When Perry signed with the Wildcats, he did so ranked four stars, the No. 7 point guard in the country and No. 78 prospect nationally. He signed with Kentucky over additional offers from Ole Miss, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Ohio State and many others.

Perry isn't the only new name to come in for Tennessee in recent days with recruiting, as 5-star combo guard Darius Adams will reportedly be having a zoom call with Barnes soon. As for Perry, you have to imagine he'll start setting up visits here soon now that he's looking for a new place to call home. We can only imagine the meltdown for Kentucky fans if he ends up making the move to Knoxville.