Tennessee Predicted to Land Top Transfer Recruit Juke Harris After Elite Eight Exit

Story by

Nate Lunak

Wed, Apr 15, 2026 ·

2 min read

The Tennessee Volunteers entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. Their run would end after an Elite Eight loss to the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines . It marked the Volunteers' third straight year losing in the Elite Eight.

However, it was still a solid season, going 25-12 and 11-7 in SEC matchups. Now, in the offseason, head coach Rick Barnes is looking to improve the roster. The transfer portal officially opened on April 7 and Tennessee has already landed four commitments .

That included forward Miles Rubin (Loyola [Chi] Ramblers), guard Dai Dai Ames (California Golden Bears) guard Tyler Lundblade (Belmont Bruins) and forward Jalen Haralson ( Notre Dame ).

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes.Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With three commitments under his belt, Barnes may have another big addition coming in soon. On Wednesday, On3's Josh Henschke logged an expert prediction for Tennessee to land former Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Juke Harris.

He broke out last season as a sophomore for the Demon Deacons. He started 35 games, averaging 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists, all three of which marked career highs. He also shot 44.4% from the field and 33.2% from beyond the three-point line.

After a significant jump in production, he was named the ACC Most Improved Player. Now searching for a new team, On3 ranks Harris as the No. 1 player to hit the transfer portal this offseason.

Landing his commitment could be an exciting outcome for Tennessee. Despite the team's incoming talent, the Volunteers are still playing catch-up with six players leaving in the portal.

While Henschke's prediction shows that the Volunteers are trending in the right direction, they still face competition for Harris. On3's Pete Nakos reports that the Michigan Wolverines and North Carolina Tar Heels are also pushing for the guard.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.