Former Tennessee basketball forward Jonas Aidoo is transferring to Arkansas, according to a report Monday from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Aidoo entered the portal on April 11 and entered the NBA Draft. He kept his college eligibility while going through the draft process.

Aidoo had an All-SEC season as a junior. The 6-foot-11 Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He had six double-doubles in conference games. He blocked 66 shots, which ranked third in the SEC.

The 2024-25 SEC schedule hasn’t been released but Arkansas and Tennessee are likely to meet each other although it’s not certain with two new teams entering the league.

Rick Barnes was surprised by Jonas Aidoo transferring

Vols coach Rick Barnes works to avoid being surprised by transfer portal decisions. Aidoo’s came as a surprise for the Vols based on the messaging they had received from Aidoo following the season.

“Yeah because he had told everybody he was fine,” Barnes said.

Aidoo was one of four Vols to enter the transfer portal following the season. Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V was the first, while fellow redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson followed suit. Forward Tobe Awaka was the third and Aidoo was the fourth.

Jonas Aidoo was an All-SEC player with Tennessee basketball

Aidoo averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game in his three seasons at Tennessee.

TRANSFER: Darlinstone Dubar commits to Tennessee basketball as Hofstra transfer

The Durham, North Carolina, native jumped into the starting lineup as a junior. He spent his first two years as a role player behind veterans including Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic. He played 18.3 minutes per game as a sophomore and showed his defensive prowess in that season.

Aidoo’s freshman season got off to a slow start as he battled an illness preseason. He stepped into the playing group after Nkamhoua suffered a season-ending injury in February 2022. He played 7.8 minutes per game in 19 games as a freshman.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

Communities in Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma are dealing with the aftermath of tornadoes that carved a destructive and deadly path through them this weekend. It is not an unfamiliar site or tale for many families in Tennessee.

With the right atmospheric conditions any place can experience a tornado, but the Midwest is often where people think of when they think of these destructive weather phenomenon. To the point it is often referenced as “tornado alley.”

But meteorologist have noticed a shift toward the Southeast as the frequency of tornadoes increase in Southern states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama over the years.

Here’s a look at where tornado alley is and why some believe is is shifting.

Tornado watch vs. tornado warning: What to know in Tennessee as severe weather hits

Where is tornado alley? Is Tennessee part of it?

Tornado alley has changed and shifted over the years, but as of 2023 Accuweather lists eight states as being part of this area with a unique combination of geographic and meteorological factors that make it more susceptible to tornadoes.

Only three whole states are part of tornado alley: Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, eastern Colorado and the northern part of Texas are considered part of the alley.

‘Tornado Alley’ is expanding: Southern states see more twisters now than ever before

Tennessee is not considered part of tornado alley, but the state has had its fair share of tornadoes over the years.

Comparing annual data from 1980 to 1999 with 2000 to 2019, 20 U.S. states saw an increase in tornado activity, including Tennessee. Scientists can’t pinpoint precisely how much may be due to an increase in reporting due to improved technology.

Is tornado alley shifting?

Commonly there are more tornadoes in tornado alley, but Southern states are baring the brunt of more destructive outbreaks.

Tornadoes in the South tend to be deadlier than those in the Plains because of several factors such as longer, larger tornado paths, expanding population, more mobile homes and more nighttime tornadoes, according to information compiled from the National Weather Service and other weather services.

The Southern states that bare the brunt of this shift are parts of eastern Texas and Arkansas into Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and includes upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. This area has been referred to as “Dixie Alley” since the 1970s, but weather service institutions — like the Weather Channel — have refrained from using the name in recent years.

When is tornado season in Tennessee?

Tennessee usually sees the highest number of tornadoes during the month of April, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But tornado season runs from March to May in Tennessee.

Tornado risk for Tennessee

One of the biggest factors affecting the weather in the Southern part of the U.S. is the Gulf of Mexico. According to AccuWeather, the water in the gulf may heat up quickly during the middle and latter part of the spring, which could cause troublesome weather in May.