Tennessee

How Rick Barnes reacted to Jonas Aidoo transfer from Tennessee to Arkansas

Published

2 years ago

May 1, 2024

How Rick Barnes reacted to Jonas Aidoo transfer from Tennessee to Arkansas

CHATTANOOGA – Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes said he loves Jonas Aidoo but he hurts that he left the Vols and transferred to Arkansas.

“Honestly, I don’t want to sound crass about it, but you move on,” Barnes said at the Big Orange Caravan at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Wednesday. “When you lose somebody, your mindset has to be, ‘Well, maybe we can improve somewhere.’

“But we believe in the University of Tennessee. We know this: There’s a lot of people who want to play for us.”

Aidoo, a 6-foot-11 forward, entered the transfer portal after an All-SEC season on UT’s Elite Eight team. On Monday, he committed to transferring to Arkansas, where he’ll play for new coach John Calipari.

Barnes said there were no hard feelings toward Aidoo or any player that left UT.

“We obviously have great love and respect for Jonas,” Barnes said. “We’ve watched him grow in our program. But again, he felt like he may want to play a different style, a different way.”

The 2024-25 SEC schedule hasn’t been released, but Arkansas and Tennessee are expected to play each other. Of course, Calipari is familiar with Aidoo from his time at Kentucky.

Rick Barnes: ‘It hurts. It always does.’

Aidoo was among four UT players that entered the portal. Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione transferred to Penn State. Redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson transferred to Longwood. And on Monday, sophomore forward Tobe Awaka committed to transfer to Arizona.

“Throughout my years in coaching, you have to be willing to adapt,” Barnes said. “But it hurts. It always does when you feel like you’ve really worked hard with a young person, and you get them to a point.

“But you also understand it. Believe me, we totally understand it.”

UT also has added players from the portal. It got 6-11 forward Felix Okpara from Ohio State, 6-10 forward Igor Milicic from Charlotte and 6-8 guard Darlinstone Dubar from Hofstra. And the Vols aren’t done reloading their roster.

What Barnes likes about Felix Okpara, the Vols’ newest big man

Barnes was quick to praise Okpara, one of the replacements for Aidoo and Awaka.

And this Big Orange Caravan stop was well suited for that because Okpara played nearby at Hamilton Heights in Chattanooga before spending his final prep year at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.

“(Okpara) brings us a physicality that we love to have, that we haven’t consistently had there,” Barnes said. “With what we’ve seen and the way we evaluated him, I think he’s got some untapped ability offensively.

“He runs. He’s strong. And being around him, he’s impressed me with the fact that he’s got a real competitive edge about him. That’s going to fit in well with our guys.”

Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 70 games in two seasons at Ohio State. He started 45 games and entrenched himself as the starting forward as a sophomore, when averaged 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while blocking 82 shots.

“He’s like a lot of guys his size,” Barnes said. “He’s just kind of scratching the surface in terms of where he can be. But he showed us he can do a lot. We’re going to try get him to do more than maybe he thinks he can.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Tennessee

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Sam Purcell felt good about the game plan for Mississippi State women’s basketball’s matchup with Tennessee.

But the Bulldogs gave up 26 points in the first quarter and trailed by seven points. It was a deficit they never recovered from in a 90-80 loss to the Lady Vols at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8.

“You look at that that first quarter, I thought it was crucial. We had a great scout, a great game plan, but we didn’t talk on ball screens,” Purcell said. “Their largest quarter was that first quarter, and we’re going to watch back and go, dang it, we need to be more vocal. And you got to give them credit – top to bottom, they’re probably as good as anybody in the country with athleticism. So you can’t let those athletic kids turn the corner for wide open layups, and we did.”

Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led the Bulldogs with 22 points each, but MSU didn’t have enough defense to pull off the upset.

Had Mississippi State been able to slow down Tennessee’s drivers in the first quarter, it may have been a different result. But once the Bulldogs started slowing that down, the Lady Vols were “phenomenal hitting some big-time shots,” Purcell said.

Tennessee only had the edge in points in the paint, 42-40, but it also went 10-for-27 on 3-pointers, which was an area Mississippi State couldn’t match. The Bulldogs shot 2-for-13 from deep.

MSU also couldn’t stop Tennessee freshman point guard Mia Pauldo, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Bulldogs sent her to the foul line time and time again, and she went 8-for-9 on free throws.

“I thought (Pauldo) was poised, she was clutch,” Purcell said. “Obviously, that’s what you need in games like this that are gonna come down the to the wire. You need players to step up, and I thought she was the X factor for them.”

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Former Tennessee Football Legend Accepts SEC Coaching Gig

Published

24 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Former Tennessee Football Legend Accepts SEC Coaching Gig

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the main teams when it comes to producing talent and sending talent to the NFL, which is something that has often been discovered as a standard for the football program. This is something that has been going on for quite some time and isn’t anything new to the news cycle, as the Vols have been able to produce plenty of talented prospects.

Tennessee is the home of many stars, including some of the best defensive players in SEC history. Guys like Eric Berry have found their way through the Tennessee program and onto the NFL, where they would have legendary careers. However, the defensive side of the football is the only side that has produced plenty of talent, as Tennessee has produced a lot of offensive talent as well. With the likes of Peyton Manning and company, the Vols have shown a great track record in getting talent drafted.

The Vols have produced someone who could be considered as one of the best players to play the Tide end position, as the Knoxville, Tennessee program is the home to Dallas Cowboys legend, Jason Witten. Witten is someone who made the most of his career and has been viewed as a top player at the Tide in position, and someone who is often referred to as a legend for the Cowboys, along with being a legend in the game of football as a whole.

Jason Witten Accepts TE Coach Position For Oklahoma

Oct 10, 2010; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) on the phone in the bench area in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Cowboys Stadium. The Titans beat the Cowboys 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Witten is now taking a new gig, which has him in a huge role inside the Southeastern Conference. The Vols legend is now the tight end coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have had some success out of their tight ends in the past, but the sky is the limit with a guy like Witten coaching up the players. Witten has the opportunity to do really well, as coaching tight ends won’t be an issue, and you have to imagine that he will be able to recruit very well, considering he has a huge name around him, as this is something that we have seen from positional coaches as well as head coaches who have done great work in the league. You have to imagine that the Vols will now have stiff competition for his son, Cooper, who is a five-star recruit for the upcoming 2027 class at the linebacker position.

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Tennessee Football DB Transfer Boo Carter Visits the Vols Rival

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Football DB Transfer Boo Carter Visits the Vols Rival

The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to land many of the nation’s best players in the transfer portal to replace the players who have already announced they are transferring away from Tennessee. One of the players they lost very early on to the portal, and his plans of entering the portal is Boo Carter.

Carter is someone who has quickly made a name for himself, as he played for the Vols as a freshman. He also played for the Tennessee Vols this past season before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Carter entered the portal and left an announcement on his X page for those interested. Here is what was said.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank The University of Tennessee Coaches, administrators and fans for a wonderful 2 years. Unfortunately my season has been cut short due to injury. I have decided to enter the transfer portal and I am excited about the opportunities going forward!-Boo Carter”

Boo Carter Visits Vanderbilt

Tennessee defensive back Boo Carter (23) pulls on his jersey during Tennessee football preseason practice, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Aug. 6, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the portal is here, he has started to hear from many teams, including a team many anticipated to be in the picture. The Vols DB heard from the Vanderbilt staff and is now reportedly visiting them. This is a school where many of his friends go currently, and a school that has been doing well, but it is no secret that this is one of the Vols’ biggest rivalries.

He is undecided on a possible commitment somewhere, but the reports have started to indicate that the Commodores are a team to watch moving forward. This will be one to watch for the Vols, as there is a good chance they may see Carter next season.

“Dynamic athlete who quickly made an impact on defense and special teams as a true freshman … Earned the starting STAR position and shined while becoming a dangerous weapon as a punt returner as a true freshman in 2024 … Saw action as a slot receiver as well during 2025 spring practices … Early enrollee in January 2024 who participated in Citrus Bowl practices and spring practice before his true freshman season … Has compiled 63 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups and one interception on defense in his career … Dynamic punt returner who averages 16.0 yards per return in his career … Played in 21 career games and made five starts,” the Tennessee Vols athletics website stated.