Tennessee Basketball Faces Major Roster Overhaul After Elite Eight Loss, With Key Departures and Transfer Portal Targets

Tennessee Basketball's season came to an end in the Elite Eight on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, as they fell to Houston 69-50 in the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region final. For Zakai Ziegler, Jahmai Mashack, and four other seniors, it marked their final game in a Tennessee uniform, signaling the start of a major roster overhaul in the offseason.

The Vols will lose seniors Ziegler, Mashack, Jordan Gainey, and Igor Milicic Jr., along with fifth-year seniors Chaz Lanier and Darlinstone Dubar. In addition to these six departing seniors, Tennessee entered the season with two open scholarships, leaving more than half of the roster to be filled in the coming weeks and months.

Tennessee has already signed two players for its 2025 recruiting class: four-star guard Amari Evans and four-star center Dewayne Brown, and has received a commitment from Virginia point guard Troy Henderson. 

In terms of the NCAA Transfer Portal, Tennessee is already eyeing a couple of prospects. Virginia guard Isaac McKneely is scheduled to visit the Vols on Tuesday, and Jalen Jackson, a guard from Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, is also reportedly planning a visit. The Vols have also shown interest in Elyjah Freeman, a 6-foot-8 freshman guard from Lincoln Memorial, who had an impressive season with averages of 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, shooting 57% from the field and 46% from three-point range.

Tennessee plans to target several portal additions to rebuild its backcourt and perimeter, with a focus on veteran guards, both on and off the ball, as well as wings and stretch forwards.

The current roster includes two sophomores, forwards Cade Phillips and JP Estrella, one junior, Felix Okpara, and one freshman, Bishop Boswell. Estrella, who has been out after foot surgery in November, is expected to play a big role next season alongside Okpara and Phillips. Okpara, the 6-foot-11 Ohio State transfer, averaged 7.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks this season, while Phillips averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Ziegler and Mashack leave as the winningest four-year players in Tennessee program history, making three straight Sweet 16s and back-to-back Elite Eights. Both were finalists for the National Defensive Player of the Year this season. Ziegler averaged 13.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 37 games this season. Over his four years at Tennessee, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 138 games. Ziegler holds the Tennessee career and single-season assist records, as well as the career steals record. He is also a back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC’s single-season assist record holder.

Mashack, known for his elite perimeter defense, averaged 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 assists this season. Over his 137-game career, he averaged 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals.

In the transfer portal, the Vols added Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr., Darlinstone Dubar, and Felix Okpara last year. Gainey, the son of Tennessee’s associate head coach Justin Gainey, transferred from USC Upstate in April 2023 and provided a solid bench presence for the Vols. After averaging 6.8 points last season, Gainey increased his scoring to 11.4 points per game this season while shooting 40.2% from the field.

Lanier, who was one of the top names in the NCAA Transfer Portal after transferring from North Florida, selected Tennessee over Kentucky and BYU. He had an impressive season, averaging 18.0 points and shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc, breaking Tennessee's single-season record for 3-pointers with 123. Milicic, who transferred from Charlotte, provided the Vols with a stretch forward, averaging 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Dubar, the first transfer addition last April from Hofstra, struggled to find a consistent role, averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.