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The Tennessee Volunteers, coached by Rick Barnes, are undergoing significant roster changes this transfer season, similar to many college basketball programs. After a successful 2023 transfer season, during which they signed star player Dalton Knecht, Barnes is now focusing on building a new roster as quickly as possible.
So far, Barned has secured the signature of Darlinstone Dubar from Hofstra, a 6-foot-11 Felix Okpara, who averaged 6.6 points per game last season and Igor Miličić Jr., who averaged 12.8 points per game while shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc as a junior at Charlotte.
As the Volunteers head into the 2024 campaign, let's take a look at the top three players they will miss the most.
Top 3 players Tennessee lost before heading into 2024-25 season
#3. Jonas Aidoo
Jonas Aidoo played for three seasons at Tennessee before committing to John Calipari's new program at Arkansas. As a junior in the 2023-24 season, he averaged 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game, with a 51.5 percent shooting from the field.
In 2024, he made it to the Second-team All-SEC. One of his key performances was when he scored a crucial 23 points against Arkansas and led the Volunteers to victory. He was a key player for the program, with solid defense, as he was also named to the SEC all-defensive team.
#2. Josiah-Jordan James
Josiah-Jordan James, a key guard for Tennessee, announced his decision to leave the Volunteers via Instagram on April 16. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while playing 29.2 minutes per game.
An ESPN's five-star recruit in the class of 2019, he played for five seasons at Tennessee. 247Sports Composite ranked him as a No. 22 prospect in the nation when he committed to the Volunteers. In high school, he averaged 29.1 points, 5.3 blocks, and 4.9 assists per game, and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year 2019.
#1. Dalton Knecht
One of the players who seems impossible to replace is Dalton Knecht as he declared for the 2024 NBA Draft after playing for one season at Tennessee. He was phenomenal on the court for the Volunteers last season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in the 2023-24 season.
At the end of the season, he was named the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2024. Due to his exceptional skills, he also made it to the First-team All-SEC (2024). A 6-foot-6 consensus first-team All-American in 2024, Dalton Knecht shot 45.8 percent from the field and secured 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.
With a career-high of 40 points against Kentucky, Dalton Knecht is a player with great potential and can be a No. 1 draft prospect for the 2024 NBA Draft according to Bleachers Report.
