Tennessee HC Rick Barnes at the 2022 SEC Basketball Tournament. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
This offseason, Rick Barnes and Tennessee basketball have been tasked with reloading for the 2025-26 season.
The Vols lose key pieces Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic Jr. and Darlinstone Dubar due to eligibility. As a response, Tennessee has picked up multiple transfers and an impressive recruiting class.
As a result, Jon Rothstein, a national college basketball analyst, is going out on a limb with his prediction for UT’s upcoming season. He thinks, due to the additions of transfer point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and five-star freshman Nate Ament, Tennessee could be a ‘dark-horse’ team to make its first Final Four.
Rick Barnes’ best teams have always had elite point guards.
He’s got another one this year in Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
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— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 18, 2025
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“A year ago, Tennessee lost Dalton Knecht, still made the Elite Eight,” Rothstein said. “But you had Zakai Zeigler back, you had Jahmai Mashack back, you had Jordan Gainey back and you brought in Chaz Lanier. Looking now at Tennessee, I think Tennessee is a dark-horse Final Four team.
“Now, why do I say that? You know Rick Barnes’ teams are always going to be the elite of the elite defensively. You know Felix Okpara is going to anchor that defense for Tennessee. But Rick Barnes’ best teams throughout his coaching career have always had elite point guard play. He’s went to the Final Four once as a head coach. Who was the point guard on that team? TJ Ford in 2003 at Texas. He went to the Elite Eight at Texas in 2008. Who was the point guard on that team? DJ Augustine. He’s went to the last two Elite Eights at Tennessee. Who was the point guard? Zakai Zeigler.
“Now, you have Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a First-Team All-SEC caliber player. You know he’s going to run the offense as an extension of Rick Barnes. You know that the defense, anchored by Felix Okpara, is going to be top tier. And there is some good pieces you like in the transfer portal to plug the gaps. I’m a fan of Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt. I’m a fan of Amaree Abram as a guy who, in my opinion,n can bring some seasoning and some pedigree and some scoring.
“But the thing you have to like about Tennessee, and this is a wildcard because this is a freshman, but you’re bringing in a high-level talent in Nate Ament, who is going to play with a veteran point guard in Ja’Kobi Gillespie whose job is going to be to set him up and big man behind him in Felix Okpara who is just coming off a year in which he was a starter on a team that went to the Elite Eight and (lost to) Houston. Nate Ament and his ceiling, and if he reaches that ceiling, could go a long way in turning into what Tennessee ultimately does this season.”
Despite the praise, Rothstein slots Tennessee as just the No. 6 team in his SEC power rankings. The Vols clock in behind No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Alabama. Just behind UT are Texas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Georgia, LSU and South Carolina, in that order.
In Rothstein’s current top-45 rankings, Tennessee is the No. 19 team in the country.