If there’s one thing all college sports fans can agree on, it’s that the portal giveth and it taketh away. Tennessee has seen some really strong returns from the portal lately, with guys like Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Jaylen Carey making an impact. And for the most part, they’ve been able to avoid too many major losses at least so far.
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You can’t help but feel like Tennessee has avoided disaster in ther portal, but things could change. The Vols were hit with some tough news early Monday morning, as freshman guard Clarence Massamba plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
NEW: Tennessee guard Clarence Massamba plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @JoeTipton reports. https://t.co/T3jND5ESTE pic.twitter.com/ui0rrhDjV2
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 6, 2026
Freshman guard Clarence Massamba plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal
There’s really no other way to put it other than this one hurts. Massamba didn’t contribute much this season, averaging just 0.3 points per game, but there was a lot of belief in his long-term potential coming over from France. He was rated as a four-star prospect with a 92 rating by 247Sports, so the expectation was that he’d eventually grow into a key piece for the program. However, we won't get to see him bloom in the orange and white, as he is off to the portal.
Given that a lot of the hype around Massamba is based on hype around his potential and not tangible results, he may have to drop down to a smaller league like the Missouri Valley or Atlantic 10 to get some film out there and show what he's capable of in Division I basketball. It's not uncommon to see players go from the Power Four and have success at a smaller school before making the jump again. This could be the case with Massamba, as there is a lot to like with his game.
The bottom line is that Tennesse now has two players in the portal, plus the Vols are also losing Gillespie, Felix Okpara, and potentially Nate Ament next season. Rick Barnes now has to lock in and get ready for a substantial portal haul, as based on how things look now, Tennessee won't be making a real push for the program's first-ever Final Four.