Vols fans are going all-out to help Rick Barnes land another transfer portal stud

Typically, Rick Barnes is looking to add a missing piece or two in the Transfer Portal, but this offseason is different. This time around, Barnes is going for a complete overhaul to not only reach his fourth-straight Elite Eight but to break through with the program’s first-ever Final Four. 

That rebuild began with Tyler Lundblade, Dai Dai Ames, and Miles Rubin, and has continued with a commitment from Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson. Still, there’s another level to reach, and Vols fans are doing everything they can to get one of two top portal targets over the finish line. 

Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris is reportedly leaning towards Tennessee over UNC and Michigan. The Tennessee staff went to him for an in-home visit earlier this week. Former VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. chose to come to Knoxville, and that allowed the fanbase to pitch in. 

One such recruiting effort involved painting “The Rock” on campus with the message “Come Home Terrence” with his jersey No. 6. 

Tennessee fans paint “The Rock” for Terrence Hill Jr.’s Knoxville visit

A 2024 zero-star recruit, Hill was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Atlantic 10, leading the Rams to the conference tournament title and a first-round NCAA Tournament win over North Carolina with a 34-point performance. 

Another downhill attacking left-handed guard, Hill would be a nice complement to Ames in the Tennessee back-court with his superior play-making chops and ability to space the floor with a 37 percent three-point stroke. While he came off the bench, Hill was VCU’s primary offensive initiator and posted a stellar 2.55 assist/turnover ratio with a hefty 26 percent usage rate. 

A true three-level scorer, Hill is lethal from mid-range, though it’s not a massive portion of his shot diet. Instead, he favors above-the-break threes, either off the dribble or the catch, attempting 51.5 percent of his field goals from that area of the floor. 

While not elite, Hill, like Ames, is a feisty point-of-attack defender, and because of his experience coming off the bench, could be interchangeable in the backcourt with Ames, Lundblade, and even Harris, who possess high-level guard skills at 6-foot-7. 

If Barnes can nab Hill and Harris this week, his six-player portal haul will be as strong as any in the nation. And while the overhaul won’t be entirely complete, the foundation of a Final Four-caliber roster will absolutely be in place.

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