One of the Tennessee Vols’ top 2027 basketball recruiting targets dropped a quote this week that isn’t sitting well with Vanderbilt Commodores fans.

Rick Barnes and the Vols are hoping to land 2027 five-star forward Malachi Jordan.

Jordan, 6-foot-7/225 pounds from Nashville, TN, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 3 small forward in the nation and the No. 11 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class.

Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington are among the other programs in the mix for Jordan.

Malachi Jordan drops quote about all the orange in Nashville

Jordan, who plays high school basketball in Arizona, spoke to Rivals.com this week about his recruitment and dropped a fun quote about the number of Tennessee fans in Nashville, which, of course, is home to the Commodores.

“That orange, you know, I mean, it runs through Nashville, where I’m from,” said Jordan. “It’s only a three-hour drive to Knoxville, I mean, it’s all you see, so I’ve grown up around it, and it’s home.”

There’s no denying that Vanderbilt had success on the basketball court and the football field against Tennessee this past year.

Nashville, though, is still a city that’s more orange and white than black and gold.

Tennessee fans, however, probably shouldn’t do too much of a victory lap after hearing Jordan’s comments.

The five-star forward also admitted that he’s an Alabama football fan.

“My mom’s side of the family is all from Alabama,” said Jordan. “So, like, just in our household, we’re all big fans of Alabama football. We’ve been rooting for their football team for a while, and I’ve always loved their team.”

It’s too early to predict if Tennessee will land Jordan. But even if they don’t, his comments still further confirm that Nashville is a Vols city.