Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols appear to be on the verge of receiving some good news this week.

On3’s Chris Low said Sunday on The RTI Low-Down that his intel points to Wake Forest transfer guard Juke Harris landing with the Vols, perhaps as early as this week.

“You never say never, but all my intel says that this week that Juke Harris will pull the trigger and come to Tennessee,” said Low. “I know his mom is a big fan of the program, and a big fan of Rick Barnes. Tennessee was right there in it when he went out of high school.

“In this era, you never say something’s a lock, because someone can always [say], ‘What about if we pay you $5 or 6 million?’ I think Michigan has probably been in Juke Harris’ ear telling him, ‘Hey, Ament is coming back, so you might want to rethink that decision.’ Well, we know that (Ament returning to UT) is not happening now. So I do think, unless there’s a big snag or a curveball at the end, I think Juke Harris will be a Tennessee Vol. I think we’ll probably hear something this week.”

Harris is an important transfer target for the Vols — especially with star forward Nate Ament recently declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft.

But even if Harris commits to the Vols this week (or in the near future), it doesn’t 100 percent guarantee that he’ll play for Tennessee.

Rick Barnes could be dealing with a Joey Aguilar-like situation

While the Vols have emerged as the favorites for Harris, the NBA still looms as a possibility for the Wake Forest transfer.

“Harris declared for the NBA Draft earlier this month and remains focused on going through that process,” wrote On3’s Joe Tipton on Monday. “It’s worth noting Harris is currently projected as an early second-round pick, which could ultimately lead to a return to college. With a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine in a couple of weeks and solid workouts, his stock could rise in the eyes of NBA executives, propelling him into the first round. It sounds obvious, but Harris will have a decision to make — return to college or remain in the Draft. That call will likely come down to the feedback he receives over the next few weeks.”

Harris could commit to the Vols this week and still end up in the NBA next season. It all depends on the feedback he receives over the next couple of weeks.

And that means Barnes could be in a similar situation to the one Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel faced with quarterback Joey Aguilar earlier this offseason.

Heupel and the Vols had to wait until late February — over a month after the transfer portal closed — to find out if Aguilar would be allowed to play another season at Tennessee.

When Aguilar’s injunction was denied (thereby ending his college career), it resulted in the Vols moving forward with redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon as their starting quarterback options.

Tennessee was essentially in a quarterback purgatory for over a month, and their only shot to have a starting quarterback with experience rested on Aguilar winning his injunction.

It’s not the exact same situation with Barnes and Harris — this isn’t an eligibility issue — but it’s a similar purgatory. If Harris decides in the middle of May that he’s heading to the NBA, there won’t be another highly-touted wing in the portal for Tennessee to turn their attention to. Instead, the Vols will have to roll with what they have.

Maybe the roster Barnes has assembled this offseason will be good enough without Harris — you just never know how teams loaded with transfers will perform until the lights come on. But I think most folks agree that Tennessee, at least on paper, is better with Harris.

It’s possible that Harris could withdraw from the draft and then commit to Tennessee. But based on Tipton’s note on Monday, that doesn’t sound very likely.