The Tennessee Vols are one of the teams strongly in the mix for Wake Forest Demon Deacons transfer guard Juke Harris.

Harris, 6-foot-7/200 pounds from Salisbury, NC, averaged 21.4 points per game as a sophomore for Wake Forest this past season. 

On3’s Josh Henschke predicted Wednesday that Tennessee will land Harris.

Additionally, On3’s Pete Nakos reported Wednesday that there’s “growing confidence” for the Vols to land Harris.

“Speaking with multiple sources on Tuesday, there is growing confidence that Tennessee can close this out,” reported Nakos. “Harris is expected to land a deal north of $3 million, which Tennessee is ready to pay. Barnes and Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes are also friendly, which could work in the Vols’ favor. Harris is still going through the NBA draft process, which could drag out a final decision.”

Juke Harris still has an NBA decision to make

Even if the Volunteers land Harris in the coming days, it’s not certain he would play for Tennessee this fall.

As Nakos noted, Harris is still going through the NBA draft process, and he has until May 27 to pull his name out.

“Juke Harris is a big one to watch,” said CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander on Eye on College Basketball. “He is going to go through the draft process no matter what… He will, at some point, commit to a school but keep his name in the NBA Draft process. We will not know his ultimate fate until May.”

247Sports describes Harris as a “fringe first round prospect”.

Nakos reported that Harris is expected to receive an NIL deal worth “north of $3 million”.

That would likely be more than Harris would earn as a late first round or early second round draft selection (Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James, the No. 33 overall pick a year ago, is earning $2.3 million this season).

The best move for Harris would be to return to college, earn more than he would in the NBA, and boost his stock for the 2027 NBA Draft.

But it can be tough for a player to pass up the NBA. This decision isn’t always just about money, it’s about fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing basketball at the highest level.

Harris has two seasons of eligibility remaining.