Tennessee connected to transfer portal guard Jalen Jackson

A name to know.

Tennessee is currently working to make the Elite Eight, but the second their NCAA tournament run ends, the transfer portal run will begin. The portal officially opened this week, and those still playing are at a bit of a disadvantage to start.

The groundwork is still being laid to hit the portal once the season ends though, especially with so much turnover about to happen on the Tennessee roster. One of the first reported names that the Volunteers have been in contact with is Jalen Jackson, a transferring guard from Purdue Fort Wayne.

Tennessee joins a long list of suitors for Jackson.

Jackson has one season of eligibility remaining. He’s coming off of a junior season where he averaged 19.2 points per game for Purdue Fort Wayne. Jackson saw his shooting numbers dip majorly from his sophomore to junior season, going from 41 to 26 percent from three-point range. He did finish the season shooting over 48 percent from the floor overall.

The 6-2, 200 pound guard originally started his career at Illinois-Chicago.

Tennessee will have to add a handful out of the transfer portal once again, just as they have in the previous two seasons. Four starting positions will be up for grabs, along with a couple of roles off of the bench.

Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic, Jordan Gainey and Darlinstone Dubar will all be on the way out following the season. As we’ve seen before, more could exit as well in this wild wild west era of the portal.

The backcourt should be the main point of interest for Tennessee here with only Bishop Boswell set to return. The Volunteers have signed two guards in the class of 2025 — four-star Amari Evans and three-star Troy Henderson.

Jackson will be the first of many names to know this portal season.